


The Racer's Tribe

by DancingAnya



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-08-27 14:17:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16704031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancingAnya/pseuds/DancingAnya
Summary: When Victor Nikiforov, the Nikiforov tribe leader, asks Katsuki Yuuri, horse racer and social outcast, to marry him, Yuuri isn’t really in a position to refuse. Their tribes set up the wedding as a symbol of peace, but Yuuri isn’t so sure about it. Why would a tribe leader want an unwanted like him? On top of that, Yuuri has a secret: he can speak to animals. When he switches over to the Nikiforov tribe, he has to show that he is a good, normal leader.When the four tribes come under attack, Yuuri finds an opportunity to prove himself useful. Prove himself to his tribe, himself, and his husband. But how will he fare when lives are on the line? Will the four tribes come together and fight their oppressors, or will they crumble under the pressure?Or…Katsuki Yuuri, an outcasted horse handler/racer and animal speaker, is forced into marriage with Victor Nikiforov. It is set in a jungle-like, eco-friendly, and somewhat modern world. Think Avatar but more technologically advanced. There are four tribes, one for each direction, and one giant threat that they have to face.





	1. The Races

Katsuki Yuuri wiped the sweat from his brow. This was going to be a long day. His main horse Vicchan got sick, so he was stuck with Lancer. Lancer wasn’t a bad horse. Actually, he was very good. He just wasn’t Vicchan. Yuuri wrapped the cloth around Lancer’s feet as the horse stood perfectly still. The other stablehands watched in awe, not knowing how Yuuri was able to make such a fussy horse stand still. Yuuri almost smiled. If he had been in his home tribe, the stablehands would have known exactly why, and they would have hated him for it. 

_Hurry up,_ Lancer spoke in Yuuri’s mind, _I want to stomp._

_I’m sorry, I was deep in thought._

_You silly humans. Always focusing on everything but the task at hand._ The horse laughed. 

While Yuuri didn’t appreciate being laughed at, he supposed the horse had a point. He hurried to finish wrapping Lancer’s feet and stood to stretch his back. The excited horse stomped his hooves in delight. He was extremely excited to run. 

Yuuri went over to the wash bin and cleaned his hands. Working with horses was dirty after all. As he bent over, he felt someone push him from behind. Thankfully, he stabilized himself before he could tip over the water bin, but it still was rude. He turned to see some people from his tribe behind him.

“Hey Katsuki,” one spoke, “don’t lose today.” 

“Or else!” 

“Be nice, we all know Katsuki will win! After all, it’s the only thing he’s good at!” 

The trio walked off while snickering to themselves. Yuuri sighed. Just another day in his life he supposed. 

_Why were those people mean to you?_ Lancer asked.

_Because I can talk to you. I used to be high up in the tribe’s social ladder, now I’m lower than even you, a horse, just because I understand. They think I’m a witch._

_And they let you race? Racing is only for the glorious!_

_They like winning I suppose._

The horse huffed but didn’t say anything. Yuuri took that as a sign to drop the conversation. He looked over to the racing field and noticed the four flags being raised. One for every tribe. Every year, the tribes got together and put their best racers against one another. This year, they were forcing Yuuri to do it. He was the best, after all, even if he was an outcast. The Hasetsu tribe didn’t accept him, but they sure did use him. 

The other three flags stood for the Nikiforov, Giacometti, and Leroy tribes. Yuuri longed to run away to one of them someday and start over, but that was forbidden. Only under very specific circumstances could one change tribes. The Nikiforov tribe, which was to the north, was covered in jungle. Their horses were nimble and able to travel over rugged surfaces. The Leroy tribe, to the west, was dry and sandy. Their horses had good stamina and heat resistance. The Giacometti tribe, which was to the east, was mostly fields and forests. There wasn’t anything special about their horses, except their extremely good breeding systems. But it was the Hasetsu tribe that was known for their horses, all thanks to Yuuri. He worked them day and night and trained them in every skill he could. Breeding wasn’t as important to him as determination, which one could only find by talking to the horses themselves. 

Yuuri sighed. He knew he would win the race today, but it wouldn’t matter. They would still hate him. Yuuri left the stables to go find something to drink. 

Upon reaching the tent with refreshments, Yuuri noticed a silver-haired man standing by Celestino, the Hasetsu tribe leader. Only people from the Nikiforov tribe had silver hair, so Yuuri assumed he must be from there. Yuuri waited patiently to get his drink, standing in a line formed by people he was not familiar with. Good. They wouldn’t spit in his drink at least. 

When it was finally his turn, Yuuri grabbed the ladle from the lady at the table and took a huge gulp. He gave it back to her, and all of a sudden felt eyes on the back of his head. He turned. The silver-haired man was looking at him. Yuuri hadn’t noticed before, but a large dog sat at his feet. 

_Does your master always stare at strangers?_ He asked the dog. 

_Only ones he likes!_

Yuuri looked back up at the man, smiled, and began to walk away. The man leaned and grabbed his hand. Yuuri looked up, surprised. Celestino seemed surprised too. 

“You are racing today?” he asked in a very Nikiforov accent. 

“Y-yes?” 

The man smiled, “I will see you on the track then.” 

Yuuri nodded, still questioning why the man stopped him. Maybe people in the Nikiforov tribe were just weird. Yuuri made a mental note to run away to a different tribe in his fantasies. He walked away, but could still feel the man’s eyes on him. What a strange character. Yuuri wondered why he was talking to Celestino, the leader of his tribe. Was he important? He must rank up high. 

Yuuri got rid of his thoughts as he made his way back to the stables. A large horn sounded towards the track. It was time to warm up. 

Yuuri got Lancer and made his way towards the track. The whole time the horse lectured him on the importance of racing. Apparently, racing was only for the noble and was quite the noble trade to partake in. 

_That’s why you are noble_ Lancer said finally. 

“That’s very kind of you, but you know I’m not noble,” Yuuri said aloud as no one was around. 

_That’s insulting! I would never let someone who wasn’t exceptional train me! You’re the best around. Status has nothing to do with noble-ness._

“Thanks, Lancer, I wish everyone thought like you.” 

Yuuri mounted Lancer and took a deep breath. This was always the best part. Standing up tall in the wind. It was relaxing. Yuuri kicked the horse lightly to make him go forward and started around the track. They were just walking for now and soon would build up into a full-on gallop, but Yuuri always tried not to show off too much before a competition. That would make him the competitor to beat. Not that it would matter. Yuuri would still win. He always won. 

The silver-haired man from before had mounted his horse and was warming up as well. He trotted over to Yuuri and Lancer. His horse was bragging about how good he was. Yuuri smiled. Horses were always so egotistical. 

“Hello again,” the silver-haired man said. 

“Hello.” 

“So you’re the horse expert of the Hasetsu tribe?” 

“I suppose.” 

“Well I would love to see about having you come to the Nikiforov tribe instead,” the man smiled. 

Yuuri blushed. His words implied marriage, as that was the only way to transfer between tribes. This man was flirting with him. Yuuri wasn’t used to that type of thing, but he had to admit the man was attractive. Very attractive. If Yuuri wasn’t so low on the social scale, he might have reciprocated his feelings. But he couldn’t, he was nobody. 

“You’re the horse expert of your tribe, then?” Yuuri asked, changing the subject. 

The man looked sad, “Well, no, actually. I’m just the fastest rider. There are better horsemen than me.” 

Yuuri nodded in understanding, “Well, good luck, sir.” 

“Wait! What’s your name?” 

Yuuri was surprised. Why would this man want to know his name? 

“Yuuri. Of the Katsuki family.” 

The man held out his hand for Yuuri to take, and Yuuri did just that. 

“I’m Victor of the Nikiforov family.” 

Suddenly his hand felt hot to the touch. Yuuri’s eyes widened and he guided Lancer a few steps away. This man who had taken an interest in him was none other than the leader of the Nikiforov tribe. Yuuri bowed his head profusely. 

“I’m so sorry for wasting your time, tribe leader. Good luck in the race!” Yuuri hurried away from him, not looking to see what his reaction might be. Once he was far enough away, Yuuri took a big sigh. What had just happened? Had the leader of the Nikiforov tribe really just talked to him? Yuuri shivered and tried hard not to hit himself in embarrassment. If he had only known who Yuuri was, he wouldn’t have talked to him after all. Yuuri tried to get rid of his thoughts as he continued to warm up. He didn’t have time to dwell on this. He had to win. 

Lancer berated him about leaving the tribe leader as the came up to the starting point. He kept saying that it was his way to freedom. Yuuri didn’t even respond. He knew all that would be too good to be true. 

The other three racers, including Victor, lined up at the starting point. The horses talked competitively with one another and bragged about who would win. A man came up and talked to the racers. 

“Alright, you all know the routine. Any false starts will result in instant elimination. The winner will have the honor of bringing the golden horse home to their tribe this year. Remember, this is all for the fun of the sport. You all bring honor to your tribes.” 

_Except me_ Yuuri thought. 

The man went to the side of the track and got ready to begin the race. Yuuri, saying a quick prayer to the god of victory, got into position. 

“On a count of three,” he said, “One, two, three!” 

They took off, quickly galloping around the track. The racer from the Leroy tribe was in first for a little bit, but quickly got passed by Victor. Yuuri smiled. This was his time. 

_Lancer, you can do this!_

The horse sped up, quickly catching up with Victor and surpassing him. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuuri could see the man turn to look at him. This was the one moment Yuuri would have to be better than a tribe leader. 

Yuuri pushed Lancer even harder, and Lancer, feeling Yuuri’s determination, responded by going even faster. By the time they crossed the finish line, there was no arguing that Yuuri and Lancer had won. Victor came in next, followed by the Leroy tribe and the Giacometti tribe, but Yuuri hardly noticed. All he really paid attention to was the cheers coming from his tribe. They all stood on the side of the track, cheering for them. Well, more for Lancer than for Yuuri, but it still felt nice. 

Yuuri held up his arms to face the crowd. Others from different tribes clapped to show support, though they were surely disappointed. The golden horse was placed in Yuuri’s hands. He had won, just like always. 

The racers from the Giacometti and Leroy tribes went back to the stables, but Victor didn’t. He came over to Yuuri and Lancer. 

“Good race,” he said, smiling.

“Thank you,” Yuuri beamed, still caught up in the moment. 

“It’s not too late to come over to the Nikiforov tribe, you know.” 

Yuuri took a small breath, “Thank you, but I don’t think I’m the one you’re looking for. Have a good day, tribe leader.” 

With that, Yuuri walked off. He didn’t know why this tribe leader suddenly was being so nice to him, but he shouldn’t waste his time. Yuuri was only good for one thing, after all, and it was winning. 

The people waiting at the stalls praised Lancer when they got back but practically ignored Yuuri. He sighed. He was used to this, but it still never failed to hurt his heart. Maybe, one day, they’d see him as a person instead of an outcast, but that would take a lot more winning. 

 

__________________

 

Yuuri was nervous. Celestino had called for him. While Celestino had been nicer to Yuuri than most people in the tribe, a visit to the tribe leader was always something to be concerned about. 

After returning home from the races, Yuuri had a few days to himself. He spent time with Vicchan, who was recovering from his illness, and worked on training a few of the horses. Due to his win, people weren’t exclusively mean to him the past few days, but he knew that would fade away quickly. He hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, so he couldn’t imagine why the tribe leader wanted to see him.

Yuuri climbed the stone steps to the open-air circle where Celestino’s chair sat. Pillars raised around the circle, each one standing for a different god. The Hasetsu tribe was made primarily out of stone and wood and often had open-airways to help keep the people at one with the gods and nature. Celestino’s area was no different. Yuuri had to stop his hands from trembling as he approached the tribe leader as the servants around them looked down at Yuuri. 

Celestino sighed, “Yuuri, I have no idea what you did, but you have a great task ahead of you.” 

“W-what, tribe leader?” Yuuri stuttered. 

“You are going to be married,” he said.

Yuuri was shocked. Arranged marriages weren’t uncommon, but they certainly weren’t given to unimportant people like him. 

“Excuse me, tribe leader, but why?” 

“You have been requested by someone in great power. I suppose you could refuse, but you don’t really have that option given your status and the state of our peace treaties with the other tribes.” 

“Someone from another tribe wants me?” 

“Yes.” 

“W-who, if I may ask?” 

“Victor Nikiforov, leader of the Nikiforov tribe.”


	2. New Tribe

“V-Victor Nikiforov!?” Yuuri stammered. 

Celestino nodded, “We were surprised too. Victor has been offered many people, but he’s refused every one. So, when he said he wanted to marry one of our members, we were thrilled. We just didn’t expect it to be you. Don’t get me wrong, Yuuri. I like you, even if the others are a bit harsh, but you’ve fallen way down in social standing. Victor should have picked someone near his level.” 

Yuuri gulped. What was happening?

“But, for whatever reason, he has chosen you. As you may or may not know, the tensions between the Hasetsu and Nikiforov tribes have been getting worse lately. This marriage proposal will be seen as a peace offering from both sides. Do you know what that means?” 

Yuuri shook his head no.

“You will please tribe leader Nikiforov in any way possible, and you cannot fail. Under no circumstances is he to be disappointed. You have a duty to your tribe and it’s safety. Do you understand?” 

“Y-yes, tribe leader.” 

“That also means that you must keep your… ability a secret from the Nikiforov tribe. If they found out, who knows what could happen. They will look down upon us all. You are doing this for the safety of your tribe. We are all depending on you, gods help us all.” 

Tears started to form in Yuuri’s eyes, “W-what if I fail?” 

Celestino’s eyes grew dark, “Then you will have failed us. Your tribe, your husband, and even yourself. It could break apart hundreds of years of peace. People could die.” 

“But I’m nobody! Someone else should be trained for this, no me-” 

“We told him you were of low social standing, but he wants you all the same. You must face the challenge.” 

Yuuri fell to his knees, “Please, don’t make me do this.” 

Celestino, for his part, seemed sympathetic. He sighed, “Yuuri, think about it this way. You finally have a chance to prove yourself. You can make a new life for yourself in the Nikiforov tribe while bringing honor to the Hasetsu tribe all at the same time. We are counting on you.” 

That thought made Yuuri feel a little better, but he was still worried. He tried to put on a brave face, “I will bring honor to my tribe, whatever the cost may be.” 

“Good. Now, Go begin packing your things. The wedding will be in two days time at the Nikiforov main house. I would ready myself by reading up on everything we have about the Nikiforov tribe. You should know some of the customs before moving there, though I’m sure they will teach you some things. Gods be with you, Yuuri.”

 

_______________________

Yuuri, to his credit, did spend the next couple days studying everything he had to know about the Nikiforov tribe. They were set in the north, towards the jungle, and lived in a hot climate. Despite this, they were known for wearing the most clothing of all the tribes. Yuuri couldn’t fathom why this may be, but he supposed it was for tradition. All of the tribes lived in warm climates, especially the Leroy tribe, so little clothing seemed optimal for survival. Lots of clothing seemed to be a sign of status and strength to the Nikiforovs, however. Yuuri sighed and looked through his clothing chest. Most of his clothes were sparse and made for riding. He hardly had anything that would be appropriate to wear to the tribe. He settled for a short top that revealed his torso, a common article of the Hasetsu tribe, and a long, thin overcoat. Maybe the multiple layers would trick them into thinking he was well-dressed. He did find baggy pants that went down to his knees and gave the illusion of largeness. Hopefully, this would be good enough. 

Going down his mental checklist, Yuuri thought about what else he should do. Then it dawned on him: the Nikiforov’s wore shoes. In the Hasetsu tribe, shoes were seen as unimportant and only those high on the social ladder really had them. Yuuri thought back to his time before his secret came out. Did he have a pair of sandals? He searched through his trunk and, squished at the very bottom, was a woven pair of shoes. He silently thanked the gods. 

Yuuri tried on the sandals and instantly regretted it. The way the woven material felt on his feet was awful, and they were too small anyway. He supposed he would have to get used to it, so he kept them on as he continued to pack. 

Yuuri left behind the things he didn’t think he would need. After all, a tribe leader’s spouse surely would get some things when they arrive. Maybe they had things there for him already. Yuuri was thankful that they were letting him bring his horse Vicchan with him, though he would arrive at a later date than him. Yuuri looked around his small hut and sighed. Although there were many bad memories here, he was going to miss it. 

Just as Yuuri was going to open the door, a knock sounded. He opened it and saw a servant waiting for him. 

“Katsuki Yuuri. I am to take your traveling trunk to the sandatori stables.” 

Yuuri instantly felt uncomfortable having a servant do anything for him, but he supposed he would have to get used to it. 

“It’s right over there. Thank you.” 

The servant seemed surprised at his kind words but tried not to show it. Yuuri supposed he probably didn’t get told “thank you” as much as he should. He sighed. This was going to take some getting used to. 

The odd duo made their way to the sandatori stables. The sandatori were large flying creatures much like horses that could help you travel quickly. They were nicknamed the thunderbirds for the unique sound they made when they flapped their wings. It was certainly loud, but not unbearable. Yuuri had flown on them many times, but never with a traveling trunk. The sandatori had large claws that could hold great weights while they flew, making them even more useful for travel. 

_Looks like you’re riding with me today, Yuuri,_ a sandatori named Chenja said when they approached. 

_It may be the last time._

She made a loud screeching sound and lowered her head, showing that she was sad. Not everything had to be communicated through talking after all. Yuuri had only ridden Chenja one time, but all the animals loved Yuuri for his ability. The other sandatori around them stomped their feet in salute to him. Yuuri blushed. At least someone was going to miss him. 

The stable hands were making last-minute preparations for the flight. Many important Hasetsu leaders were gathered there getting ready to fly to the wedding. Celestino approached him. 

“You chose well,” he said.

Yuuri was confused until the tribe leader gestured to his outfit. 

“Oh! Thank you. I tried fitting in with their customs.” 

The tribe leader nodded, “Yuuri, this is the last time that you have to be yourself. Once we take off, you are a diplomat of the Hasetsu tribe. And once you’re married, you are a tribe leader. Do you understand?” 

Yuuri gulped, “Yes, tribe leader.” 

“Good.” The man reached into his robe and pulled out a circular thing. Upon inspection, Yuuri saw that it was a headband. Celestino placed it on Yuuri’s head. The beaded accessory was made with twine and feathers and fit his head well. 

“Thank you,” Yuuri said softly. 

“That is to remind you of where you come from. Wear it with pride.” 

With that Celestino turned and walked away. Yuuri took a deep breath and mounted Chenja with one fluid motion. As he sat up high, he looked over the place he once called home. This was it. From here on out, he was somebody.

________________

Flying through the air to the Nikiforov tribe took a decent amount of time, but not too long. There was enough time for Yuuri to try and build his confidence as a diplomat. So far, it wasn’t going very well. Yuuri didn’t have much time to spare, however, because the Nikiforov main house could be seen in the distance. 

The sandatori were guided by a series of hand signals from the front flier to land in a specific area near the main house. The area was a large wooden platform that hung low in the trees. Yuuri forgot that most of the buildings in the Nikiforov tribe were up in the trees. That was something else he would have to get used to. 

They landed and were immediately greeted by servants. All of them were dressed from head to toe, making Yuuri feel significantly underdressed. They didn’t seem to mind, however, and helped him down from his sandatori. They greeted him as a general politician, clearly not knowing which one of them was Victor’s husband-to-be. Yuuri didn’t mind. He would rather be treated like so than like a tribe leader. 

Before Yuuri had the chance to say anything, he caught a glimpse of familiar shiny silver hair. 

“Yuuri!” cried the tribe leader as he dashed over to him. Yuuri almost laughed. That was certainly not very tribe leader-like behavior. He must have been too excited to remain composed. 

Once he reached Yuuri, Victor quickly took his hand and kissed it (another strange Nikiforov custom) to show greetings. Yuuri wasn’t sure if he was supposed to do the same back, but he didn’t have time to find out. 

“Yuuri, I’ve been waiting so eagerly for you to get here! Please, would you allow me to take you on a tour of the main house?” Victor’s smile was infectious, making Yuuri smile too. 

“Of course, tribe leader,” Yuuri said with as noble a voice as he could muster. 

“Just Victor, please. I wouldn’t want my husband referring to me like that!” 

The word “husband” hit Yuuri hard. As Victor dragged Yuuri into the house, it seemed to sink in that he was to get married. He would have to be loving to this man he had hardly met. 

Yuuri couldn’t dwell on this realization for too long, as the excited tribe leader began to show him around the main house. Every tribe had a main house where many of the tribe members lived and all the important meetings took place. It was huge. The Nikiforov one, in particular, was known for being quite grand, and Yuuri could see why. It hung up in the trees, but it seemed to go on forever. Yuuri wondered to himself if the entire tribe lived there. 

“This,” Victor spoke, “is the meeting room. We keep it near the landing area so diplomats who don’t want to stay very long can easily leave and enter. We will be spending a lot of time in here!” 

Victor went on to excitedly show him the main house. He showed him the lounge, the training room, the sitting room, and so much more. Yuuri hardly had time to speak, never mind remembering where everything was. He was happy that Victor was doing most of the talking, however, because Yuuri was afraid he would say something wrong. The duo went all around the main house, meeting people and looking at rooms. Almost all of the rooms were open-air and some were even roofless. That, at least, was a similarity Yuuri could look forward to about living here. 

Finally, Victor turned to face Yuuri before entering what seemed to be the last room. 

“I think you’ll like this one the best,” he said with his signature smile. 

Victor led Yuuri into the room and Yuuri’s eyes widened. It was huge. There was a large canopy bed and a balcony and many cushions around the area. 

“I-is this your room?” Yuuri asked. 

“No. It’s our room! Of course, you’ll have a guest room until later tonight, but, then, it’s all ours!” 

Yuuri’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t thought of this. He took a deep breath, remembering that he was doing everything for the good of his tribe. He turned to Victor and put on a smiling face. 

“It’s gorgeous!” 

Victor was about to say something else, but a person came through the entrance and told him he had duties to attend to. 

“Of course,” Victor said, dropping the excitedness and putting on a more leader-like persona. He turned to Yuuri. 

“I shall see you at the ceremony. Sara, please lead Yuuri to his room for the evening.” 

He suddenly leaned in and gave Yuuri a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled brightly at Yuuri and turned on his heel to leave. Yuuri felt the spot where he had kissed with his hand, blushing profusely. He had no idea what was to come, but, if it was always like this, Yuuri was unsure if he would be able to do his job properly. 

The girl named Sara and another boy led Yuuri to what appeared to be his room. Once they left him alone, Yuuri took the time to try and compose himself. From here on out, he had one purpose and one purpose only: to satisfy Victor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! There's been a lot of positive feedback, and it's only been one day! That's awesome! I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](https://anyaisdancingagain.tumblr.com/) [Writing Tumblr](https://dancinganya.tumblr.com/)


	3. A Wedding

The Nikiforov tribe, to their credit, seemed to have everything ready for Yuuri’s arrival. Servants came into his room and began getting him ready for the wedding. They dressed him in more layers than he had ever seen before. It was light fabric at least, but Yuuri still was sweating more than he should. 

The outfit they had for him was long and beautiful. Yuuri had never seen it before, but the clothing covering his lower half wasn’t pants. It was flowing and surrounded his legs. 

“Will Victor be wearing something like this as well?” he asked a servant.

“Yes, the robe and skirt is a signature formal article of the Nikiforov tribe. You will probably wear it often.” 

“It is comfortable.” 

The servant smiled, clearly charmed by his naivety. 

The outfit was colored blue and gold and was certainly the most beautiful garment Yuuri had ever worn. They also placed jewelry around his neck and arms with stones that were stranger than Yuuri had ever seen. Blue with black lines, shimmering green, and vibrant red adorned his body like nothing Yuuri could have even imagined. He gently touched them as if they might break. 

The servants thought that Yuuri should keep on the headband Celestino gave him. Yuuri was thankful, and it did look nice with the outfit. It was his keepsake from home, after all. 

“So,” one of the servants asked him, “how did you meet our tribe leader?” 

“Uh, we met at the annual horse race.” 

“Oh? Were you entranced by his racing ability?” 

“Y-yes. That’s it.” 

“How romantic!” 

Yuuri wasn’t sure what it would be called, but “romantic” wasn’t quite it. He didn’t want to disappoint her, however. They talked a bit more about Victor. 

“He’s a bit of a scatterbrain, but he loves his tribe. Tell me, Yuuri, what did you before you came here?” 

“I-I am a diplomat,” Yuuri said, technically not lying, “and a horse racer.”

“Were _you_ in the annual horse race?” 

“Yes. I won, actually.” 

The servant seemed slightly embarrassed, “I suppose he was the one who was entranced by you then!” She laughed. 

The other servants wanted to know more, but the boy who was with Sara, who Yuuri had been told was named Michele, came in and told them it was almost time to go. The servants started freaking out and hurried to finish the preparations. They smothered some type of paste on his face, making black markings. They insisted that Victor and the other Nikiforov diplomats would be wearing them as well and that the Giacometti tribe would all wear similar ones. That made Yuuri feel a little better about the strange makeup, but it still felt weird. 

Soon, all of the servants were rushed out of the room and Yuuri was left with only Michele and Sara. Sara seemed much more excited than her brother. 

“Oh, Yuuri! You look so beautiful! Victor will surely love it!” 

She went into the closet and pulled out another skirt and robe combo. 

“This is for… after the ceremony,” she gave a little wink and handed it to Michele, “We will have it put in your room so it is there when you get there.” 

Yuuri must have gone red because she giggled. 

“You’ll be fine, Yuuri. Victor is a very kind man-” 

“Sara! We need to get going,” Michele interrupted. 

“Right, right. Yuuri, we will escort you to the ceremony. Come with us.” 

Yuuri followed after the siblings while trying not to think about the conversation they were having before. He stumbled over his long outfit a few times, but eventually got the hang of it. He sent a silent prayer to the gods asking that he wouldn’t fall during the ceremony. 

They arrived at the entrance to the ceremony where Victor stood waiting. He beamed when he saw Yuuri. 

“Yuuri!” he cheered, “You look beautiful!” 

“Thank you, as do you,” Yuuri dutifully replied. 

For some reason, Victor frowned, but Yuuri didn’t have time to wonder why. Music started playing from the room and the people all stood. Victor put on a smile and turned to Yuuri with his arm extended. 

“Shall we?” 

Yuuri grabbed his arm, the touch sending shivers down his spine, and allowed himself to be led through the room. The place itself was decorated with beautiful flowers and was interweaved through the trees. Fire lit what could hardly be seen at that time of day since the sun was setting in the distance. Wind lightly blew through Yuuri’s hair, reminding him to look up towards the front of the room. Victor led Yuuri to the front of the room where a woman stood. Victor stopped right in front of her and got down on his knees. Yuuri did the same. 

The woman started talking about the sanctity of marriage in the Nikiforov tribe. Apparently, unlike in the Hasetsu tribe where marriage wasn’t a large commitment, marriage in the Nikiforov tribe was treasured and formidable. It was strong and unbreaking. Only very few got married, and those who did needed a strong relationship. That struck Yuuri as odd, considering Victor and Yuuri’s knowledge of one another, but he figured that peace was another good reason for marriage as well. 

Victor kept stealing glances at Yuuri as the ceremony went on. One of those times, Yuuri decided to look back. Victor smiled, prompting Yuuri to smile too. When he looked back, the woman was looking at Yuuri expectantly.

“I-I’m sorry, what?” 

The crowd behind him gave a small laugh as if he were a lover so entranced that he couldn’t even keep his thoughts straight. The woman repeated herself. Yuuri was to accept Victor’s hand in marriage. 

“I accept your proposal,” Yuuri recited from memory, “to be together as long as the sun shines on our tribe.” 

“I too promise to stay with you until the sun sets on our time. May our marriage be as strong as our love and as great as our hearts.” 

With that, the people behind him clapped. They were married. Victor and Yuuri stood and turned to face them, smiling at the leaders from all the other tribes. They threw seeds into the air in celebration and beamed at the newly married couple. Yuuri spotted people from all the tribes. He caught a glimpse of Celestino sitting near the front. He nodded to him. This was it. He was now tied to Victor for life. 

In the next few minutes, Yuuri couldn’t remember much. There was a whirlwind of meeting people, kissing hands, and smiling that Yuuri had never quite experienced before. He didn’t even have time with Victor, though he knew that would change soon enough. All around the main house people were celebrating, and Yuuri could hear music erupting from far away rooms. Looking across the trees, he saw the common tribe members dancing and celebrating in their own way, and oh how Yuuri wished he could join them. Dancing and celebrating seemed like a much better way to remember the moment forever, but he had a duty to attend to. 

Once everyone had calmed down and gone back to their rooms, Yuuri took the time to watch the celebrations. He leaned against the fence surrounding the room and swayed slightly to the music. Suddenly, he felt another presence next to him. It was Victor. Yuuri turned red and jumped back from the railing. 

“Oh I-I was just-” 

“Looking at the celebrations? It’s lovely, isn’t it? I know we are supposed to go back to our room now, but what if we took a little detour?” Victor winked at Yuuri, surprising him. Yuuri smiled. 

“I would love that.” 

Victor quickly took Yuuri’s hand and led him through the main house. The music got louder and louder. Yuuri wondered why Victor was doing this. Surely he’d want to get back to their room quickly, but he didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. They reached the main room where people were dancing and stopped at the entrance. A few people turned when they saw them and their eyes grew wide. Soon, Yuuri was being pulled into the large group by members of the Nikiforov tribe. They dutifully taught him a Nikiforov tribe dance all while Victor watched in amusement. It took a while, especially with his long garment, but he eventually got the hang of the steps. Part of the dance was moving around and changing partners, so Yuuri got to dance with a great many of people in the tribe. He loved every single one of them. They were so excited to meet and dance with him. Yuuri never felt so included in his entire life. He laughed and danced and even drank a little bit of the wine they offered him. He knew better than to get too drunk, so he turned down some of it. He was a bit insane when he was drunk, so he figured he would never be drunk again in his entire life. 

Soon, as they were changing partners, he came to Victor. It seemed like the whole world slowed down around him. He smiled. 

“Thank you for bringing me here,” Yuuri said. 

“It was my pleasure, Yuuri Nikiforov” Victor beamed. 

Victor grabbed Yuuri by the hand and whispered into his ear, “I suppose we should be going,” he said. 

Yuuri felt a little sad, but he was getting a bit tired. The couple said goodbye to the tribe members, each one giving them joyous smiles and waves, and headed back through the main house. Yuuri was kind of getting the hang of it now, and he knew where they were headed: their bedroom.

Once the reached it, Victor let go of Yuuri’s hand and gestured to the area. 

“This is now your safe haven. You can come here whenever you want to be yourself and get away from the tiresome tribe leader life. You can be open with me, Yuuri.” 

Yuuri smiled, even though he knew it wasn’t true, because the thought was nice. He glanced down at his outfit and suddenly wasn’t sure what to do next. He spoke. 

“I know what is expected of me tonight,” he said, “they left a garment for me to wear in the closet I believe. Though I must admit I’m not sure how it will quite work.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I know that many layers are seen as more attractive in the Nikiforov tribe-” 

“Our tribe.” 

“Right, but, in the Hasetsu tribe, fewer layers are more attractive. How are we supposed to… to do it with all of the fabric?” 

Victor gave a small laugh, “Well, why don’t you show me something that would be attractive in the Hasetsu tribe then?” 

Yuuri was surprised, but he wouldn’t turn down the offer, “Of course.” 

Yuuri rushed into the closet, a luxury he had never had before, and looked around for something that might work in his old travel trunk. It was hard, but he finally decided on his fanciest shirt. The sleeves were short and it showed off his torso like most of the clothing in the Hasetsu tribe. Yuuri hoped it wouldn’t be too promiscuous. It was beaded, making it shine in the moonlight coming in through the trees. For his lower half, Yuuri pulled on a short pair of pants that flared at the ends. This wasn’t great, but it would have to do. He shyly stepped out of the closet and noticed Victor laying on one of the cushions. He turned and widened his eyes. Victor stood and came closer to Yuuri, taking large steps. 

“I think I like this better,” he said. 

This was it. This was Yuuri’s moment to seduce Victor and prove that he would be a good husband. Yuuri smiled and placed a hand on Victor’s chest. At the very least, Victor was a kind and very attractive man. Surely he would enjoy himself tonight. 

“Shall we?” Yuuri asked. 

Then the two men sealed their marriage through their night together, as per the traditions of the tribes. The god of love surely looked down at them with favor, as Yuuri had never felt anything quite like it in his entire life. Indeed, he did enjoy himself, even if it were rather embarrassing. Once it was done, they laid together on the bed, breathing deeply. Victor pushed aside Yuuri’s hair and smiled. 

“I know you think yourself to be only a vessel for peace. And, as much as that pains me, it also gives me inspiration. I promise you will learn to love your life here, and you will learn that it’s alright to be your true self, Yuuri.” 

Yuuri didn’t really hear his words as he drifted off to sleep. Despite the strangeness of it all, this had been the most joyful night of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! I'm amazed at the amount of support this has gotten. As a result, here's an early chapter! Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](https://anyaisdancingagain.tumblr.com/) [Writing Tumblr](https://dancinganya.tumblr.com/)


	4. Birds

The next morning, Yuuri was awoken by light streaming in through the room from the balcony. He turned in the bed and was surprised to see that Victor wasn’t there. He must have duties to attend to. Yuuri sat up and looked around, taking in the fact that last night hadn’t all just been a dream. A bird flew in from the balcony and landed on the floor near Yuuri. It was brightly colored, like birds tended to be in this area, and began chirping a happy song. 

_The tribe dances all night_  
_A new era’s in sight_  
_Our new leader adore_  
_Yet he wonder’s what for_

Birds were what Yuuri liked to call natural poets. They talked in rhyme despite not actually being able to speak the human language. This is why Yuuri always thought the ancestors must have been able to speak with animals too, and then based the human language around what the animals said. It was magical how it all worked. 

“Hello, little bird,” Yuuri spoke. 

_Hello, tribe leader!_

Yuuri held out a hand for the bird to sit upon. It flapped its little wings and sat there, clearly pleased to be in his presence. The animals were never surprised when Yuuri could talk to them. Yuuri always appreciated their continuity. They didn’t seem to mind strange differences, even ones that were as obscure as Yuuri’s. Though they did seem to favor him because of it.

“Do you know where Victor is, little one?” 

_The tribe leader went for a snack! Truth be told, he’ll be right back._

“Oh, alright. You seem like a reliable little bird. Could you do something for me?” 

_Whatever you need, I’ll be here with great speed!_

“Could you keep me in touch with what’s going on in the Nikiforov tribe? I don’t need gossip, as I know you birds enjoy, but I would like to know about important things.” 

_I will listen around and see what I hear. When I find something out, I’ll bring it back here! No worries, tribe leader, I’ll dutifully view. No gossip or secrets, only what’s good for you!_

Yuuri smiled, “Thank you. You’d better get going before Victor gets back.” 

The little bird tweeted joyfully and flew off, ready with its new mission. Yuuri sighed. Birds were such delightful creatures even if their singing was hard to think around. Just as the bird said, Victor came through the entrance carrying a bag of something and two cups. Yuuri looked up at him from the bed with curiosity. 

“Good! You’re awake!” Victor cheered, “I want to talk with you. Would you join me out on the balcony for breakfast?” 

“Of course, Victor.” 

Yuuri followed the tribe leader out onto the balcony that connected their room. Outside was a table and stools for them to sit on. Yuuri took a seat as Victor sat the bag down. It was dried fruit. Yuuri was surprised, as he was sure Victor could have much more lavish food, but he didn’t question it. His confusion must have shown on his face.

“I’m sorry it’s not very fancy, but I love dried fruit. It reminds me of our ancestors and how blessed we are by the gods. Wouldn’t you agree?” 

“I suppose so.” 

Victor sat down and munched on a piece of fruit. He looked towards the horizon. 

“So, Yuuri, tell me about yourself.” 

“Myself?” 

“Yes, I want to know more about you. We are married, after all.” 

Yuuri thought about it for a moment, “Well, I’m from the Hasetsu tribe, but you already knew that. I’m a horse trainer and a horse racer, but I also know how to care for other animals. There’s not much else to know about me I’m afraid.” 

“I’m sure there’s lots more. I can think of many other things right off the top of my head.” 

“Like what?” 

Victor looked at him with his bright blue eyes, “I know you’re beautiful and dedicated. You love animals, obviously. You’re very empathetic. Dancing comes naturally to you. You’re a gentle yet passionate lover, and you always put the needs of others before yourself. Sometimes to a fault.” 

Yuuri wasn’t sure what to say, so he looked towards the trees. Victor didn’t stop looking at him though. He continued. 

“Yuuri, I want you to feel comfortable here. I chose you because I loved what I saw in you. Not because of some superficial reason. I want you to be open with me.” 

“Of course, Victor.” 

“No, no. You don’t have to agree with everything I say. You are your own person.” 

“...Alright?” 

Victor sighed, “I suppose that didn’t make much sense, but I’m sure you’ll understand someday.” Victor suddenly got more serious. “Yuuri, please promise me that you’ll try to think of this as a normal marriage. I want you, and I want you to be happy.” 

“I’ll try my best.” 

“Good.” Victor stood from his stool while taking one last gulp of his drink. “You’ll find clothes to wear in our closet. The right side is yours. You can spend the day exploring and getting to know the place, I won’t give you any duties yet. I just want you to be settled in, alright?” 

Yuuri nodded, standing too and gathering the things on the table. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Someone will be in to get them,” Victor smiled. 

“Alright.” 

“Have a great day, Yuuri! I’ll see you soon.” With that, he was gone. 

Yuuri spent some more time looking out at the horizon and listening to the birds sing their songs before he decided that he should probably get dressed for the day. He went to the closet and saw a bowl full of water sitting on a table. He wondered what that was for. Looking into the bowl, Yuuri gasped. He looked awful. The makeup from the night before had smudged all over his face. Why hadn’t Victor said anything? He must have been embarrassed. Yuuri sighed. Surely, things could only get better from here. 

Yuuri washed the paint from his face and picked out an outfit to wear for the day. It was many layers, but it still showed his ankles and the top of his chest. He decided that it would be good for a casual day. Yuuri put it on with great struggle, suddenly understanding why Victor had woken up so early. It took time to add this much clothing on your body. When he finally finished, Yuuri hoped that he had put everything on correctly. He thought he looked good. 

Stepping out of the closet, Yuuri decided that he should try to understand the main house a bit better. His first task: find the main room and mingle.

As Yuuri walked through the main house, he encountered many tribe members. People he remembered to be diplomats walked past, looking Yuuri up and down. He gulped. Had he done something wrong?

In his confusion, Yuuri hit a vine on the floor and stumbled over it, catching himself quickly and regaining balance. He turned to the diplomats who seemed to be looking at him with regret. Yuuri gulped, gave a smile, and continued on his way. He made a mental note to watch for stray vines. 

As he continued his walk, Yuuri came upon the two servants known as Sara and Michele. Sara gasped when she saw him.

“Yuuri? Where are your shoes?” she asked. 

It dawned on Yuuri that he was barefoot, “Oh, um, in my room?” 

She smacked her hand against her head, “Yuuri, shoes are common here. Not wearing them makes you look like you’re just trying to walk around and own the place. You should wear shoes.” 

“I’m sorry, I’ll go back and get some.” 

“No need. Michele, give Yuuri your shoes.” 

“What?” Michele asked. 

“His room is a much farther walk than yours. Just give him your shoes and we will get them back later.” 

Michele grumbled but didn’t argue. He handed over his woven sandals and crossed his arms. Yuuri put them on his feet and cringed at the feeling. This was going to be a long day. 

“Thank you,” Yuuri said to Michele. 

“It’s no problem,” Sara replied for him, “What are you looking for?” 

“The main room. Where everyone was dancing last night.” 

“Oh! You’re right on the right path. Just continue forward for some time and it’ll be on your left.” 

Yuuri gave a slight bow, “Thank you.” 

Sara and Michele went on their way, leaving Yuuri alone to find the main room. It didn’t take long before he turned the corner and found himself there. People lounged about and talked with one another, but Yuuri seemed to catch some of their attention. A girl with red hair came up and pulled him towards her group. 

“Hello, tribe leader! I’m Mila! Please, you simply have to tell us about yourself! How did you and Victor meet?” Her eyes were wide and the people in the surrounding group watched eagerly. Yuuri decided he couldn’t let them down. 

“Well, we met at the annual horse races. We were both racing. I guess you could say it was love at first sight.” 

The people in the group awed at his story, especially one man with dark hair who seemed to be rather dramatic. Mila pulled his attention away. She took him around the room and introduced him to nearly everyone. Yuuri had trouble remembering names, but he still appreciated their efforts. Someday he would get it. He told his “love at first sight” story multiple times over the course of his time there, and everyone seemed entranced. For once, Yuuri felt like he was doing something right. 

A large dog came trotting into the main room, but no one seemed alarmed. It must have been common to see said dog around here, Yuuri decided. Upon closer inspection, Yuuri realized the dog was the same one who was with Victor that day at the races. Yuuri tapped Mila’s shoulder. 

“Is that dog Victor’s?” he asked. 

“Yes! Makkachin is allowed to roam freely through the main house, but she belongs to Victor. Everyone loves her! She’s been here since she was a puppy.” 

The dog sniffed around a bit and walked out of the room, clearly not noticing Yuuri. Yuuri turned to the group he was with and bowed, “I’m afraid I must take my leave. Thank you all for your hospitality and kindness.” 

They waved and said goodbye as Yuuri left the main room. He looked down the hallways and saw Makkachin’s paws disappear into a room. He ran to catch up, nearly tripping in his new shoes, and found that she had turned into an empty sitting room. She had her paws up on the railings and began to bark at the birds in the trees. Yuuri smiled. What a beautiful dog. 

Yuuri slowly approached as to not frighten her. She noticed him almost immediately and turned from her barking to see him. 

_Yuuri!_ she cried. 

She bounded up to him and rubbed her head against his legs, asking for attention. Yuuri obliged, not wanting to disappoint the sweet dog. 

“Hello, Makkachin,” Yuuri said, “how are you?” 

_I’m great! I’m so happy to finally see you!_

“I’m happy to see you too,” Yuuri paused, “Can I ask you a question?” 

She cocked her head in curiosity. 

“Why did Victor choose me of all people? Why not someone else?” 

_Because he likes you!_

“Right, but why?” 

Makkachin thought for a moment _Maybe he likes that you love animals. Like me!_

Yuuri laughed, “I suppose that would do it.” 

As the two continued to talk, a small bird made its way to the railing. It called out. 

_Yuuri! Yuuri! Hurry! Hurry!_

Yuuri turned and saw that it was the small bird from before, “Hello, what’s the matter?” 

_There’s a messenger and sandatori from the Giacometti tribe that has fallen down on their way here! They carry important news, are out of breath, and are shaking with fear!_

“What news?” 

_The Giacometti tribe has been attacked by the ocean clans of the east! Only for now have the quarrels been ceased!_

_Oh no!_ cried Makkachin _We need to tell Victor!_

“Right,” said Yuuri, “Thank you, little bird, for your urgency. Let’s go, Makkachin!” 

Yuuri and Makka ran through the main house with Makka leading the way. She seemed to know right where Victor would be. It took awhile, but Yuuri soon remembered the meeting room next to the landing area that Victor had shown him on his first day. Makka jumped through the entrance, barking aloud. 

When Yuuri rounded the corner, he saw Victor trying to calm her down. He caught Victor’s glance as he walked up to him. 

“Yuuri, are you here to sit in on a meeting?” 

“Victor, there’s a sandatori with a messenger from the Giacometti tribe down in the jungle. It’s urgent. The Giacometti tribe has been attacked by the ocean clans of the east. We need to send scouts out to find them.” 

Victor furrowed his brows, “How do you know this?” 

Yuuri paused, suddenly realizing what he had done. He looked down to the floor, “I can’t tell you that.” 

It was then that the viceroys and diplomats in the meeting started mumbling. One in particular seemed upset. 

“Why would you interrupt our meeting with such nonsense?” he asked.

“It’s not nonsense, it’s true!” 

“The ocean clans haven’t been seen for years and they’re a peaceful people. Whatever attention you are trying to attract won’t work here.” 

“But you have to believe me-” 

“Yuuri,” Victor spoke, “just tell us how you know this and we will send out scouts. I promise.” 

Tears began to form in Yuuri’s eyes. He looked at Victor in the eyes, “I just do.” 

“That’s not good enough. Please leave us to do actual work,” one of the viceroys stated. 

Yuuri looked around the room and saw that not one person would look at him directly. Not even the diplomat from the Hasetsu tribe, who surely knew he was right, would give him the time of day. Even Makkachin’s urgent yelps seemed to do nothing. This was bad. 

“We will adjourn this meeting for now,” Victor said, “I’m sorry for the interruption, everyone. I’ll call for you when we continue.” 

The members of the meeting stood up and stretched. Yuuri tried not to look Victor in the eyes, as he was embarrassed for the scene he caused, but he didn’t have long to look away. Victor was pulled aside by a few viceroys would clearly wanted another word with him. Yuuri stayed where he was, expecting to be punished by Victor when he returned. 

One of the viceroys, the same one who talked down at him earlier, approached Yuuri. He had a sneer on his face and seemed to be turning red. 

“H-hello, viceroy-” 

“Yakov. Viceroy Yakov Feltsman. Let me tell you this, Hasetsu commoner, I don’t know how you seduced our leader, but he will see through you soon enough. This stunt you pulled will not go unpunished.” 

Makkachin, would stood by Yuuri’s side, growled at Yakov. The viceroy walked around the dog, never taking his eyes off her, before leaving the room. Yuuri sighed. What had he done?

 _I never liked him anyway_ Makka snarled. 

Soon, Victor was done talking to the viceroys and walked over to Yuuri. Yuuri took a deep breath and spoke. 

“Victor, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true-” 

“Yuuri, I want to believe you, I really do, but I can’t send out scouts unless I know why. Why can’t you just tell me? I am your husband, after all.” 

“I… I just can’t.” 

Victor’s face grew dark, “Well, then, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll see you later in our room, alright?” 

Yuuri nodded. Victor placed a kiss on his forehead and went back to talking with some diplomats. This was bad. What was Yuuri supposed to do? 

_Come on, Yuuri_ Makkachin said _We should leave._

_You’re right._

With that, the strange duo left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love you've been giving! I really appreciate it! Here's a longer chapter than usual! Enjoy! <3


	5. Confessions

“What are we going to do?” Yuuri asked no one in particular. Makkachin bounced up beside him. 

_I can’t believe Victor didn’t believe you. Why can’t you just tell him a bird told you?_

Yuuri sat down on his bed and buried his head in his hands. 

“If I told him, he would hate me.”

_No he wouldn’t!_

“Everyone else did.” 

Makkachin whimpered and jumped up on the bed, laying her head in Yuuri’s lap. 

_Maybe we could go find them ourselves?_ she suggested. 

“I don’t know the jungle. We’d just end up lost.” 

_Well, I know the jungle fairly well. I could probably get us back._

Yuuri thought about it for a moment, “I don’t know-” 

_And what about that poor messenger who is lost in the jungle? They need saving too!_

Yuuri smiled, “Makka, you have a good heart.” 

Makka wagged her tail in response. 

“Alright. We will go and search for them.” 

_Yay!_

Yuuri got up and went to the closet, Makka hot on his heels. He looked around and found his riding gear - thick leather pants and shoulder protection - and put it on. After deciding that the jungle floor would be rough, he conceded to wearing some boots that he found in the closet. They were probably Victor’s, but he doubted that Victor would mind. 

“Can you keep up with a horse?” Yuuri asked Makka. 

_Of course! I’m the fastest there is… as long as you aren’t going too fast._

Yuuri laughed and grabbed a bag from his chest. He supposed the rider would be hungry and thirsty after sitting in the jungle for so long, so he decided that he would slip into the kitchens and get some food and water for them. 

Right as Yuuri was about to leave the room, a familiar silver-haired person walked through the entrance. Yuuri froze. Victor looked up at him and smiled. 

“Oh, Yuuri. Going to the stables?” he asked. He looked down at Yuuri’s bag with confusion. “What’s that for?” 

Yuuri panicked. He hadn’t thought Victor would be here, “I-its for food for the horses.” 

“We already have food down there. You don’t need to bring any! I haven’t checked if your horse has arrived yet, but I suppose it should have. I would love to go down there with you sometime and see what you can do when you’re on your own horse!” Victor smiled brightly at Yuuri, making him feel guilty. 

“Victor, that sounds wonderful, but that’s not what I’m doing.” 

Victor’s face grew questioning and Makka tilted her head in surprise. 

“Then what are you doing?” 

“I-I’m going to go look for the rider and sandatori.” 

“Yuuri, there is no-” 

“Yes, there is! Forgive me, tribe leader, but I have to go!” 

“Yuuri! Stop this! You can’t just make up things out of nowhere and expect me to believe it. You have a duty as a tribe leader to be honest with your people. I thought you would be better than this.” 

“Victor, I’m doing my duty as a tribe leader by protecting my people! They need to know what’s happening,” Yuuri grimaced through his words. If Celestino could see him now, he would be furious. 

Victor put a hand on his forehead and sighed, “Yuuri, the ocean clans haven’t been seen in years. If they were to attack, which they wouldn’t, it would be a huge moment in our history. The four tribes have never argued with them before. They have no reason to attack. It just doesn’t make sense.” 

Makkachin growled at her master, making Victor look at her with betrayal. 

“Makka, what’s wrong?” 

“She knows I’m right!” 

“Stop it!” Victor yelled, “You’re bringing dishonor to the tribe by making up these lies!” 

Tears started to form in Yuuri’s eyes. Everything was wrong. He had failed. Victor was disappointed in him. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Yuuri said. 

_Yuuri, what are you doing?_

“I shouldn’t have done that. Please forgive me, husband.” 

Victor’s face softened. He sighed sadly, “Alright. I forgive you, but do not do something like that again.” 

The tears in Yuuri’s eyes were flowing freely now and he looked at the ground. Victor placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Would you like to go see if your horse has arrived?” he asked. 

“...Of course.” 

A knock sounded from the doorway of their room. Victor turned and called them in. Sara walked through the door with her brother Michele. They seemed alarmed. 

“What is it?” Victor asked.

“You need to come downstairs right away, tribe leader.” 

“Our perimeter scouts found something in their search.” 

Yuuri stiffened. Could this be the lost messenger? 

“Alright, lead the way.” 

The siblings led Victor and Yuuri downstairs to a lower floor Yuuri had never been on before. It led down to the forest floor and out the main entrance. When Yuuri saw what waited for them there, he almost began to cry again. 

People crowded around a scantily clad man and a sandatori who looked beaten up. They had to be from the Giacometti tribe, as they were known for their near lewd clothing choices. Victor pushed to the front and looked down at the man. 

“Who are you?” he asked. 

“I am a messenger from the Giacometti tribe. My sandatori was injured on our way here and fell in the forest. I have a message from tribe leader Christophe Giacometti to tribe leader Victor Nikiforov.” 

“That is me.” 

“The Giacometti tribe has been attacked by the ocean clans to the east. We have suffered mighty damages and are calling on you to make good on our peace treaty. Please, tribe leader, we need your help to defend our tribe and culture. If they defeat us, surely they will come for you next. We can use all the help we can get.” 

The people around them started talking quickly, clearly alarmed by this news. Victor didn’t say anything, he simply stared at the messenger. The man was clearly confused by this.

“Tribe leader Nikiforov?” he asked.

Victor shook his head as if trying to wake himself up. He cleared his throat. “Right. We will gladly help the Giacometti tribe in their time of need,” Victor turned to Sara and Michele, “Round up the warriors, healers, and riders. Get the Sandatori ready for takeoff. Pack everything we need to go to battle. Get water and food supplies to bring to the Giacometti people. We will not let our allies be triumphed. We leave at dawn tomorrow morning.” 

“Thank you, tribe leader,” the messenger bowed, “my people will not take your kindness in vain.” 

“Christophe Giacometti is one of my best friends. He would do the same for me. You can stay here until your sandatori is feeling well enough to fly.” 

Yuuri looked at the injured thunder bird, who was wincing in pain as healers attended to her. He figured that the messenger would be here for a while, but he would not leave his companion.

The messenger was escorted to his rooms and people sprang into action to prepare for the following day. Victor immediately went back into the main house and barked orders. He needed to get everything ready for the battle. Yuuri looked to Makkachin who whimpered in sadness. 

_I guess we didn’t have to go looking for them after all._

 

__________________

 

Later that evening, Yuuri sat in his bedroom and looked out the balcony. The beautiful orange sun was setting towards the west, and Yuuri wondered if the Leroy tribe could see more of the brilliant light from where they stayed. He was about to go out on the balcony when he heard someone enter. It was Victor. He looked tired and stressed, but he looked at Yuuri with a look Yuuri couldn’t quite decipher. Crossing the room, Victor placed his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes. 

“Yuuri, dear Yuuri, I’m so sorry I doubted you. If only we had listened, we could have left today. I’m sorry I shamed you into saying you were wrong. That was wrong. As your husband, I should have trusted you. You’re miraculous. You tried saving the tribe. If the scouts hadn’t found the messenger, who knows what would have happened. I… I was wrong. Could you ever forgive me?” 

Yuuri blinked, not used to being apologized to. He turned his eyes to the ground. 

“It’s alright, Victor. I wouldn’t have believed myself either.” 

Victor pulled Yuuri into a hug. He gave a soft laugh. 

“You should have seen the look on the viceroys’ faces when they found out. They were so surprised... Which brings me to my next topic. Yuuri, how did you know about the man? How did you know what message he carried?” 

“I-I can’t tell you.” 

“I’m your husband. You can tell me anything.” 

“You wouldn’t like me.”

Victor frowned, “Are you fraternizing with the enemy?” 

“What? No! Of course not!” 

“Then why is it such a big deal? Yuuri, I love you, alright? I want you for you, not some copy of you who thinks their only purpose is to satisfy me. If you really don’t want to tell me, then I suppose you don’t have to.” 

Victor turned away as if going towards the closet, but Yuuri stopped him. 

“Wait,” he said. Victor turned back expectantly. Yuuri sighed, “Alright. I’ll tell you. Victor, I can speak to animals. A bird flew into the main house and told me about the messenger.” 

Victor was silent for a few moments before he gave a hesitant laugh, “Yuuri, that’s-” 

“It’s true!” 

“No one can talk to animals.” 

“I have ever since I was little. It’s like a second language for me. I can talk with birds, the sandatori, Makkachin… They have a lot to say.” 

“You can’t really expect me to believe this.” 

“Call for Makkachin. I’ll prove it.” 

Victor hesitated, but eventually pulled a small whistle off a hook near the door and blew into it. Within moments, Yuuri could hear Makka’s paws bounding up to the room. Makkachin came through the door excitedly barking. 

_Yuuri! Victor!_ Makkachin cheered. 

“How are you going to prove to me that this is true?” Victor asked. 

“Like this. Hold up a number behind your back so only Makka can see. I’ll tell you what it is every time.” 

“...Alright.” 

So Victor held up a number behind his back. Makkachin spoke it clearly into Yuuri’s mind. 

“Five,” Yuuri said aloud. 

Victor’s eyes widened. He changed the number. 

“Seven.” 

He changed it again. 

“Two.” 

“How are you doing that?” 

“I told you, I can talk with animals. Makkachin is telling me what it is.” 

“Is it some kind of magic?” Victor asked. Tears welled up in Yuuri’s eyes. This was going to be just like the other times.

“No! It’s not magic! It’s not witchcraft! It’s just me!” Yuuri fell to the floor while leaning against the bed. He buried his head in his arms and started to sob. Now Victor would know he was a freak. He had failed his one mission to keep peace between the tribes. 

“Yuuri?” Victor asked tentatively. Yuuri didn’t respond. He heard Victor move closer to him. “Is that why you were outcast in your tribe?” 

Yuuri nodded his head. 

“That’s all?” Victor asked, “Just because you have a special talent?” 

“Special… talent?” Yuuri sniffed. 

Looking up at Victor, Yuuri could see the concern in his eyes. 

“Yes, a special talent. Yuuri, you can talk to animals. That’s… That’s amazing! How is that even possible? I can’t imagine such a thing!”

Victor gestured for Makkachin to come over, which she happily did. 

“What does Makkachin say?” he asked. 

Yuuri was surprised. No one had ever asked him what an animal said before. “S-she says that she loves you and me. And that she wants food.” 

Victor laughed, and, suddenly, Yuuri was taken into a strange sort of world where everything was alright. 

“That sounds like something Makka would say. Can you tell her I love her too?” 

“She already knows.” 

“Of course she does,” Victor patted her head while smiling. 

“You’re not mad?” Yuuri asked hesitantly. 

“Why would I be mad? This isn’t something that you can control. You know, that they say our ancestors could speak the language of the animals, but I never quite believed it until now. Maybe you’ve just been blessed by the gods with the powers of our ancestors.” 

Yuuri had never thought about it that way. He didn’t have time to dwell on it before Victor asked another question. 

“What do the birds say? When they’re singing in the morning?” 

Yuuri laughed, “Mostly just gossip. They love listening to everything that’s going on.” 

Victor laughed too, and Yuuri couldn’t help but feel peace inside. Victor didn’t hate him, he still had a chance to be a good husband. Yuuri sighed to himself, looking at Victor with a smile. Victor smiled back and placed a kiss on his forehead. Yuuri blushed. 

“I love you, Yuuri. This could never change that. I hope that, someday, you’ll come to love me too. You’re amazing. We are amazing. You’re going to be one of the best tribe leaders the Nikiforov tribe has ever known, alright?” 

Yuuri nodded. He suddenly felt better than he ever had before. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Makachin pushed herself in between them and licked their faces. Yuuri hadn’t always known what family was, but, in that moment, he thought that he might have an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked this chapter! <3
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](https://anyaisdancingagain.tumblr.com/) [Writing Tumblr](https://dancinganya.tumblr.com/)


	6. Self-Esteem

The next morning, as everyone was preparing to leave for the Giacometti tribe, Yuuri felt a rush of purpose and excitement. He approached Victor in a hallway and spoke. 

“So, I thought that I might be of better use on a horse than anywhere else. I know horse combat from my training and could be of use in the stables. I figure-” 

“You’re not going,” Victor said in a way that made Yuuri feel silly for not thinking that before. 

“What?” 

“I can’t let you near the fight. What if you got hurt? I couldn’t live with that.” 

“Victor, you let your tribe members in the fight.” 

“That’s different. I’m not married to my tribe members.” 

“Victor that’s not fair.” 

“I don’t have to be fair, darling.” 

Yuuri frowned, “I want to go help.” 

“You can help here! Help run the tribe while I am gone.” 

“But Sara and Michele already have that covered-” 

“And you will do a fantastic job with them.” 

“I’m going, Victor.”

Victor sighed, “Yuuri, are you sure?” 

“Yes!” 

“Fine. You can go and work in the stables, but no going near the fight.” 

Yuuri mulled over it a bit before finally giving in.

“Alright. Deal.” 

Victor smiled at Yuuri and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Why don’t you go down to the stables and get to know the people and horses? We don’t have a head wrangler right now, but the stable hands are doing a great job by themselves. You’ll fit right in.” 

“Are we taking our own horses to the Giacometti tribe?” 

“Yes, but they won’t arrive until tomorrow. We will be flying on sandatori there while they travel on foot. And don’t argue that you should be with the horses. If you’re going to head up the Nikiforov horse stables you should be there beforehand to get everything ready.” 

“Alright, I’ll head down there in a bit.” 

“You will find riding gear in your side of the closet, but don’t be afraid to wear your old riding gear if that is what you are most comfortable with. I promise the people down at the stables won’t mind the lack of clothing. They understand that you’re not from here. Alright?” 

Yuuri nodded and turned away, “See you soon, Victor!” 

Victor waved too and they went their separate ways. Yuuri hurried to their room and found the riding gear that the Nikiforov tribe provided for him. He scrunched his nose. The shirt was long and covered his torso. Yuuri rolled his eyes. How was he supposed to ride in that? He went and got his old shoulder protection pads and thick riding pants and put them on. He hoped Victor would be right about them not judging his choice in clothing because there was no way he was wearing the thick riding outfit they provided. He did decide to put on shoes, however, and hoped that would make up for it. 

Yuuri went downstairs and soon felt the ground of the jungle underneath his feet. He looked around, still unsure about where the stables where. Eventually, after some roaming and asking, he found a large built area that looked somewhat like a stable. He walked in slowly and was overtaken with the sound of horses talking. This was the right place. He looked around and saw the beautiful horses all roaming their stalls. The Nikiforov tribe’s stalls were much more generous in space than the ones in the Hasetsu tribe, which Yuuri was thankful for. He walked down the aisle until he spotted the familiar brown head he was looking for. 

“Vicchan!” he cried. 

_Yuuri!_

Yuuri rushed to greet his horse who he hadn’t seen since he left the Hasetsu tribe. He quickly pet his mane as the horse rubbed his head against him. Yuuri sighed. It was nice to have Vicchan here to remind him of his old home. He didn’t know what he would do without him. 

“I wouldn’t get too close with that horse,” someone behind him said, “It belongs to tribe leader Yuuri.” 

Yuuri turned to see a teenaged boy behind him with long blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He wore riding gear similar to the gear Yuuri had found in his closet that he disliked. He seemed rather comfortable in it though. Yuuri smiled. 

“That would be me. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Yuuri held out his hand for the boy to shake. He took it and curtly nodded. 

“I’m Yuri too,” he said. 

“How interesting,” Yuuri smiled, “I’ve never met another Yuuri before.” 

“So that’s your horse? It doesn’t look that impressive. I’ll bet it couldn’t run across the jungle floor.” 

Vicchan reared his head as if offended by his words. 

“Vicchan has had a lot of training, but we’ve never actually run across the jungle floor. Maybe you could teach him sometime?” Yuuri suggested, still a bit surprised by the boy’s rudeness. Everyone else in the tribe had been so nice. 

“Yura would love to,” a new voice spoke. Yuuri turned to see a tall dark-haired man walking towards them. He slung an arm over Yuri’s shoulder and, although the boy tried to look upset about it, he never shrugged him off. Yuuri smiled. 

“Hello, what’s your name? I’m Yuuri Nikiforov.” 

“Otabek,” the man spoke, “It’s good to finally meet you. Yuri and I live low in the main house to stay near the stables, so we don’t get to see many people.” 

“You two are stable hands here?” 

Otabek nodded, “There are others, but we head up the group. We are missing a head wrangler right now, so the job has kind of fallen to us.” 

“Don’t think you can come in here and take the job, piggy,” Yuri spoke with a sneer, “It’s saved for the best rider in the tribe.” 

“I thought Victor was the best rider in the tribe? He raced at the annual races.” 

“He can’t take the position because he is already the tribe leader, and we are too young to take it ourselves,” Otabek explained.

Yuuri looked around, “Where’s the track? I’d like to practice if that’s alright. Victor said I could lead up the horse sector at the Giacometti tribe when we arrive later.” 

“You’re leading it up? Why would he give it to some random-” 

“I’m sure you will do great,” Otabek interrupted Yuri.

“Just because you are the tribe leader’s husband doesn’t mean that you will do good. You have to actually know horses.” 

Vicchan laughed in Yuuri’s mind. He smiled. 

“I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” 

Yuuri took Vicchan from his stall and went around to the track that Otabek showed him. It was large, but, due to the trees of the jungle, not as large as the one at the Hasetsu tribe. Yuuri sighed. It would have to do. 

Mounting Vicchan, Yuuri felt on top of the world once again. Nothing was as amazing as the feeling of being on top of a horse. It brought back all of the confidence Yuuri had lost over the past few days at the Nikiforov tribe and filled him with hope. This was something he could do. Yuuri guided Vicchan around the track a bit to warm up and noticed Yuri and Otabek watching from the sidelines. Yuuri smiled. This was his chance to show them what he could do. 

Yuuri gave Vicchan a little kick and told him to go. They quickly raced around the track as fast as they could, melding together as perfectly as a rider and horse. Yuuri felt the wind blow swiftly through his hair. He smiled. Could it get any better than this? As the ground moved beneath them, Yuuri edged Vicchan to go faster. He wanted to prove himself to the stable hands. To show them what he can do. Once he was satisfied with his little show-off, he urged Vicchan to slow down and stop. They laughed with one another, completely happy to be back in their element. 

Yuuri looked at the stable hands and saw that they were still looking on. Not enough for them? Yuuri smiled. 

_Vicchan, how do you feel about hurdles today?_

_I’m ready for anything!_

Yuuri motioned for Vicchan to go to the middle of the track where the hurdles wait. They came to a stop right before the line. Soon, Yuuri nudged Vicchan forward and they came up to the hurdle. The first one wasn’t very high, so Vicchan cleared it with no problem, but the second one was coming up fast. Vicchan leaped over it too without even touching the bar. Yuuri gave a loud yell of excitement and the duo turned around together to face the two stable hands. They walked up towards them, still energetic from the ride. 

“So,” Yuuri asked, “what did you think?” 

Yuri and Otabek looked at each other and smiled. They nodded. 

“You’ll do just fine,” Otabek said. 

“Let’s go get something to eat before we leave. I’m starving,” Yuri said and the duo began to walk away. Yuuri watched on as the tall boy looked back at him, “That includes you, dumbass.” 

“Me?” 

Yuri nodded, making Yuuri smile. 

“I’ll be right there.” 

 

__________________

 

Yuuri, Otabek, and Yuri made their way to the main dining room. For all his time at the Nikiforov tribe, Yuuri hadn’t actually eaten there yet. It had always just been with Victor in their room. Yuuri wasn't sure what kind of food the Nikiforov tribe served, but he was determined to like it. He had to unless he wanted his life to be filled with sadness. Yuuri loved food, after all, and living without good food was a life that Yuuri wasn’t sure he could deal with. It was still morning, so breakfast was being served. Lots of people filled the dining room who were chatting excitedly about today’s adventures. Most of them hadn’t been to the Giacometti tribe, and going to fight was something that hardly ever happened. The tribes always trained warriors as per the traditions, but they never thought that they would have to use them. Today was the day.

Otabek and Yuri led Yuuri to a table that was filled with food of all sorts. When they saw him looking confused, Yuri laughed. 

“Here, I’ll pick for you.” 

Yuri loaded up Yuuri’s plate with lots of interesting looking foods. When they walked back to the table, Yuuri was certain that he had gotten him the strangest food he could find despite Yuri’s insistence that he didn’t. 

“It’s good starting food, I promise!” 

Otabek simply smiled, not offering much help. 

Yuuri tentatively looked at his meal and picked up the most familiar-looking thing. It was a strange-looking fruit. Next to it was a liquid substance that Yuuri supposed he was supposed to dip the fruit in. After checking to make sure he could eat the skin, Yuuri dipped the fruit in the substance and put it in his mouth quickly. He chewed and swallowed, the taste lingering on his tongue. 

“It’s great!” Yuuri smiled, earning a grin from the two stable hands. Yuuri went to take another bite when he felt a presence behind him. Soon, arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him into a hug. 

“Yuuri!” a familiar voice cried. 

Yuuri struggled to turn and saw Mila standing there with a large grin, “Come to fuel up before heading out this morning?” 

“What are you doing here, old lady?” Yuri asked, annoyed. 

“Just came by to say hi, Yurio,” she snickered. The name earned a sneer from the boy. She sat down with them and joined in their conversation. 

Soon, people kept coming around and saying hello as Yuuri tried different food. Most of it was delicious, but Yuuri found himself gagging on a certain meat that was over some bread. 

“What is this?” he coughed. 

“Fish,” said Otabek.

“I like fish. What did you mix with it?” 

“That,” a new voice said, “is seasoned with kora. It’s stripped from the trees around here and put on fish mostly.” 

Yuuri turned to see Sara and Michele behind him. Sara smiled slyly at him. 

“I wouldn’t worry much about it. We don’t eat too much fish here.” 

“Hi, Sara,” Mila cheered, “Want to join us?” 

“I would love to, but we have to work to get everything ready for take off soon. Speaking of, you should all be packing.”

“Already packed,” Yuri said, “Most people are. They’ve been ready since it was announced.” 

Michele shook his head, “I don’t know why everyone’s so excited for this battle. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.” 

“This is a chance to defend our tribe, and we will defend it with honor,” Mila spoke bravely.

“Well, that’s all and good, but I do hope you come back,” Sara said with sad eyes.

“Don’t worry about me. I’d be more concerned about Yura.” 

“I’ll be fine!” he snapped causing the whole table to giggle. 

“I suppose I should be packing,” Yuuri decided aloud. 

“No need.” 

The table turned and saw Victor standing there. He looked beautiful in the light from the rising sun and stared at Yuuri with his stunning blue eyes. Yuuri gulped. 

“Why?” 

“It’s already been taken care of. We have a travel bag loaded and ready for you at the landing area.” 

“I took care of it myself,” Michele boasted. 

Yuuri sighed and looked around the table. He looked at everyone as they talked and laughed with one another. It was special. Yuuri had never felt so involved and together with people before. Tears of happiness welled up in his eyes. 

“Yuuri?” Victor whispered, “Is something wrong?” 

“No, something is very, very right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This chapter was mostly just filler and fluff, but some good stuff is to come! <3


	7. Wartime Prayers

Yuuri gathered around with his fellow tribe members on the sandatori landing platform. Everyone who was heading to the Giacometti tribe for combat and support was there, and all their family members and friends stood with them. If Yuuri could guess, he would say the whole tribe was there in the trees waiting for take off. It was heartwarming to see everyone come together, even if for such a grim purpose. Yuuri stood next to Victor who was standing upon a pedestal where the whole crowd could see him. He began to speak loudly. 

“Hello, fellow members. Today we gather in the face of adversary. We will fight for the dignity of our tribe and our friends in the other tribes. Some of us will die, that is unavoidable, but we will die with the honor only brought by dying in defense of our tribe. The highest of all honors. Friends, say your goodbyes now or forever regret your neglect. Mend all grudges for you know not if you will see them to hate them again. I will give you a moment.” 

Victor paused and the whole area erupted into goodbyes and hugs. People said farewell to their families, not knowing if they would see them again. It touched Yuuri that so many of them wanted to defend their tribe even at the risk of their own life. However, Yuuri also hoped that the fighting wouldn’t come to that. Hopefully, they could work everything out before they ever stepped on the field. 

Victor spoke again, “With that, I will now lead us in our prayers. Dear gods above, please watch over us in the upcoming battle we are to face. If we should fall, hold no grudge against our slayers, and, in turn, hold none against us if we fall another. For that is the nature of war. Help guide us if it is our destiny to win. Keep the Nikiforov tribe strong within your hearts, as we will keep you. For the Nikiforov tribe!” 

The crowd whooped and hollered at his words, ending the silent prayer with a loud bang. People loaded up onto their sandatori and got ready for takeoff. Victor climbed onto the brightest sandatori Yuuri had ever seen and held out a hand for Yuuri to take. Yuuri accepted and swung his leg around the side of the giant beast. Every sandatori held items in their clutches, and every person carried their own bags on their backs. Yuuri wrapped his arms around Victor’s waist to secure himself on the sandatori, as one did when riding with two people. This seemed to make Victor’s muscles relax a bit. Soon, the lead flyer was in the air, followed by everyone else. Yuuri and Victor were near the front, so Yuuri could clearly see how vast the jungle was. He knew that Otabek and Yuri would be on their way on horseback soon, and he wondered just how they were supposed to get through the thick jungle. He supposed the horses were just used to it. Although the sandatori made loud flapping sounds, Victor turned back as well as he could and yelled to Yuuri. 

“What does our sandatori say?” he asked. 

Yuuri listened to their creature, but he didn’t get much in response. 

“They are just doing their duty,” he explained back. 

Victor seemed satisfied with that answer and turned back around. Yuuri decided to lay his head against Victor’s back, mostly to save himself from being blown in the face with wind, but also to show some affection towards his husband. Victor leaned into him a bit more, and Yuuri decided he had done well. They stayed like that for most of the flight there. 

All too soon, Victor jostled Yuuri in his dazed half-sleep and made him look up. They had left the jungle and were now over the plains of the Giacometti tribe. Yuuri could see their main house in the distance. Unlike the Hasetsu tribe, whose main house was vast yet flat, the Giacometti tribe build upwards. Their main house was tall, though not as tall as the Nikiforov house Yuuri noted. They landed in a flat area near the house and all got down from their sandatori. 

_Thank you,_ Yuuri spoke to his sandatori. 

It huffed in response. Apparently, it thought itself too good to talk. Many animals were like that, especially the brightly colored ones, so Yuuri didn’t mind. He turned to Victor. 

“I’ve never been here before. It really is large.” 

“Yes, Christophe is always one for utilizing space well.” 

“Christophe?” 

“Tribe leader Giacometti. Oh, there he is now.” 

Yuuri turned to see a tall and well-built man walking towards them. His blonde hair blew slightly in the wind, and something about him just oozed sex appeal. Yuuri instantly felt something strange in his chest. He was sure what it was. 

“Hello, Victor!” the man cheered, “How are you doing?” 

“I’m well, Chris, and you?” 

“I’m good, good. Who do you have with you here? Is this your new plaything?” 

Yuuri felt a strike of pain through his heart. Plaything?

“No, Christophe, this is my husband.” 

“Oh, of course, I forgot you got married. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the wedding, but I see you got along fine!” 

Christophe examined Yuuri up and down before giving him a sultry smile. 

“How are you, dear…” 

“Yuuri.” 

“Yuuri! I see Victor as done well for himself.” Chris turned back to face his husband. “Such a shame I couldn’t have snatched you up. But, alas, tribe leaders cannot marry one another.” 

The feeling in Yuuri’s chest was growing.

“Chris, you’re unbelievable!” 

“I prefer the term ‘desireable.’”

Victor laughed at his obvious friend. The two began to walk together, talking about the tribe news. Yuuri wasn’t sure if he should follow. He wasn’t even sure what to do. 

Eventually, Yuuri settled on checking on the stables and making sure everything was ready for the horses' arrival. He worked all through the evening and had to ask a servant for help finding his way to his room. Once he got there, he was shocked to find Victor already there and taking a bath. Yuuri’s face burned red, but he quietly made his way to the closet to get ready to change for the night. Apparently, he was not quick enough. 

“Yuuri!” cheered Victor from the bath, “Come join me!” 

Yuuri froze. He supposed he should do what his husband said, though he wasn’t really complaining. He bet Christophe never got to bathe with Victor…

Yuuri shed his clothing and got into the hot water with Victor. His husband pulled him in so he was sitting between his legs. He could feel Victor’s member on his back. Yuuri tensed a bit before relaxing into Victor’s arms. Victor laughed. 

“Long day?” he asked. 

Yuuri nodded. Victor laid his head on Yuuri’s shoulder and sighed. 

“I have to agree. Christophe caught me up on everything that’s been happening. Apparently, the ocean clans have made camp on the beach near here and are preparing to attack again. The only thing that has stopped them is the resistance from the Giacometti tribe.” 

“That’s not good. What are we going to do?” 

“We will meet them in the fields. If they want to talk, then we will talk, but, if they insist on fighting, we will fight. There isn’t much else for us to do, after all.” 

“Do you know why they are attacking?” 

Victor laughed, “I should have brought you along with us. No, we don’t know why they are attacking, though Christophe suspects that it has something to do with the low fish rates as of late.” 

Yuuri stiffened at his name. 

“What’s wrong, Yuuri?” Victor asked. 

“Nothing, it’s just… how long have you known Christophe?” he asked. 

“Christophe? Since we were younger. He has always been a good friend of mine.” Victor gave a smile on Yuuri’s back. “Yuuri?” he asked. 

“Yes?” 

“Are you jealous?” 

“What! No!” 

“You’re jealous!” 

“Victor, I promise you I am not-” 

“It’s alright, Yuuri, it’s actually pretty cute!” 

Yuuri blushed, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” 

Victor laughed, making Yuuri blush even harder. When he was done, he sighed, “Don’t worry about Christophe. We’ve never been lovers. He is just like that. He’s always been like that. I’ve never had any lover beside you, my dear.” 

“Just playthings…” Yuuri mumbled. 

“What?” 

“Er, nothing.” 

“Yuuri, tell me what you said.” 

“Christophe said I was another “plaything,” does that mean you’ve had others?” 

Victor looked at Yuuri with a shocked face. He shook his head, “No! No! I’ve never had anything like that. And you are way more than just a “plaything” to me. You’re my darling husband. Ignore what Christophe said. He was just teasing, alright?” 

“Alright,” Yuuri said, the feeling in his chest going away just a little bit. He leaned back against Victor and sighed, taking in the hot steam of the bath. 

Victor grabbed onto Yuuri tighter and placed a kiss on his shoulder. Yuuri smiled. This felt so warm and good, he didn’t know where else he would rather be than in his arms. Yuuri tried thinking of all his favorite places. The top of a horse was one, but Victor’s arms certainly could hold a candle to that. They felt so homey and comforting. It wasn’t long before Yuuri found himself drifting off to sleep. 

 

_______________

 

Yuuri woke up the next morning dry and in bed to the rising of the sun. Victor was still asleep next to him with his arm around his middle. Yuuri stretched and carefully removed himself from Victor’s grasp. That when he looked down and gasped. He was still buck naked. He hurried into the closet and pulled on his riding gear. Surely, the horses had arrived by now. When he emerged from the closet and looked towards the bed, he saw the Victor had awakened. Yuuri smiled at him. 

“I’m going to the stables to check on the horses.” 

Victor looked at him for a few moments and smiled, “Dressed like that, I wish you would stay here a bit longer.” 

Yuuri blushed but tried to hide it. He stammered, “W-were you wanting to make love?” 

Victor’s smile fell, “Oh, no, you can go.” 

Yuuri instantly felt bad, “We can if you want to-” 

“No, we have duties to attend to.” Victor smiled and walked up to him. “We will have plenty of time for that some other day.” 

Yuuri knew that smile by now. It was the smile Victor gave when he wanted to pretend like nothing was wrong. Yuuri mustered his best smile as well, “Alright, I will see you later.” 

“Let me walk you down there,” Victor said, quickly going into the closet and fetching some clothing. When he emerged moments later, he was wearing the least amount of clothing that Yuuri had ever seen him wear (besides, of course, when he was plain naked.) Yuuri raised an eyebrow at him.

Victor laughed, “I can’t go to battle wearing too many clothes. Besides, the Giacometti tribe doesn’t wear hardly anything. Might as well blend in, right?” 

“I think you just want an excuse to show off.” 

“When I have a husband as beautiful as you, who wouldn’t?” 

Yuuri looked down at the floor blushing, “We should get going.” 

“Right!” Victor and Yuuri headed out of their room and towards the stables. Many people passed them on their way, and Yuuri could tell that the other tribes had arrived while they were sleeping. It was crowded. Once they got outside, Yuuri quickly caught sight of some of the people from his old tribe. He tried to hide behind Victor, but they saw him in the nick of time. They sauntered over. 

“Yuuri!” one called. 

Dread raced through Yuuri’s body. Victor turned to face him. 

“Are they from your old tribe?” he asked. 

“Yes, but please don’t-” 

“Well look what the sandatori just dropped,” one of them said snarkily.

“It’s the witch.” 

Yuuri tried his best to ignore them and keep walking, but Victor stopped. 

“Don’t you dare insult my husband like that. He is strong and beautiful and talented in every way. If I hear of this again…” 

“S-sorry, tribe leader,” one stammered before rushing off. Yuuri turned to Victor. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” 

“But I wanted to, you don’t deserve that kind of treatment. I promise, for as long as I shall live, that you will never feel belittled by me or anyone else in the tribe without consequences. Alright?” 

Yuuri nodded, but he didn’t have much time to dwell over Victor’s words when someone approached from behind him. Yuuri recognized him after some thinking. It was tribe leader Jean-Jacques Leroy. Yuuri pointed to him to get Victor’s attention. It was hardly noticeable, but Yuuri saw Victor’s shoulders sink when he saw the man. Yuuri suppressed a giggle. 

“Victor!” Jean-Jacques cheered, “How are you doing, fellow tribe leader?” 

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Victor said curtly. 

“How’s married life treating you? I love my darling Isabella so much, I can not wait to get married myself. Of course, our wedding will be much grander, but yours certainly fit well for your style.” 

“Thank you, we’re-” 

“Actually we were planning a large ceremony in the desert sands with all of the tribes together. I didn’t bring her with me, of course, I would never let my spouse get hurt.” 

Victor grit his teeth, making Yuuri want to laugh even more. Finally, he interrupted, 

“I really must being going to my duties, but you two have fun catching up,” he said, smiling at Victor with his sickeningly sweet smile. 

Victor gave him a look of terror when he realized he would have to deal with Leroy alone. Yuuri turned on his heel and left, finding some satisfaction in his teasing. Surely, Victor would have found it endearing. Yuuri laughed to himself and wondered just how long his husband would last with the annoying tribe leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you like this chapter as much as I liked writing it! <3
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](https://anyaisdancingagain.tumblr.com/) [Writing Tumblr](https://dancinganya.tumblr.com/)


	8. Of Land and Sea

Until now, Yuuri hadn’t thought of the battle as much more than a fight. A simple squabble that would be solved easily. It wasn’t until Yuuri saw them all lining up and ready to fight that he thought he might not see some of them again. Mila mounted her horse and stood proudly excited for the battle, but Yuuri was certain that, if he next saw her next in a casket, he would be sad. She had been so nice to him all his time at the Nikiforov tribe. And Sara, who had expressed her concerns on the issue, would certainly miss her too. Yuuri approached her with the intention to check her horse, but he had other reasons too. 

“Are you sure about this Mila? Is anybody sure about this? Why can’t we just talk?” 

“We are going to try to talk, but, if it doesn’t work, then we will fight. It’s the only way. If I die, I die with honor.” 

“Death isn’t the only way to be honorable.” 

“But giving your life is.” 

Yuuri chuckled, “Well, goodbye. I hope to see your smiling face again.”

“Same to you.” 

She rode off with her weapon in hand. Yuuri’s smiled faded as she left. This wasn’t right. None of it was, but here they were. He turned and caught sight of something that made his heart sink even further. Victor. He sat upon his horse and spoke orders to the people around him. Yuuri approached and spoke to his horse while he waited for him to give him his attention. The horse seemed as excited as everyone else. Victor finally turned to Yuuri. 

“Hello, dear, what is it?” 

“I don’t like this.” 

“You don’t like what?” 

“This. The battling. Why are the ocean clans even attacking? They’ve always been so peaceful. We had an unspoken agreement of they stay in the ocean and we stay on land. What would they want with the land anyway?” 

“Yuuri, it’s not the ‘why’ that matters now. It’s protecting the tribes from danger.” 

“But we are putting them in more danger by going to battle!” 

“We don’t have a choice.” 

“I know… It just seems wrong.” 

Victor gave a sad smile and placed a hand on Yuuri’s cheek, “It does. You’re right. Fighting is never good for anyone, but we have to go. We have the numbers, after all. It will only be a matter of time before they go back to the ocean.” 

“What if… What if you die?” 

Victor seemed surprised by his words.

“I won’t. I promise.” 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” 

Victor looked at him with a sad gaze. He sighed, “If I die, you will take over the tribe, and you will do a fantastic job. I know you will.” 

Yuuri hesitated a moment, “Goodbye, Victor.” 

“Goodbye, Yuuri.” 

Victor rode off to the front of the lines, leaving Yuuri behind at the stables. Yuuri could feel eyes on the back of his neck and turned to see Yuri and Otabek looking at him. Water was pooling in his eyes, but he tried to hide it. 

“H-hi Yuri, Otabek. Are we ready for the troops to come back in?” 

“Yuuri. You should have asked him to stay,” Yuri said. 

“What?” 

“He is your husband, right? Most husbands and wives aren’t fighting. You should have asked for him to stay. You love him, right? He would have understood.” 

Yuuri looked to the ground, “That’s the thing, I don’t know if I love him. I want too, but I know that he is out of my accessibility. Wouldn’t it be selfish of me to ask him to stay?” 

Yuri buried his head in his hands, clearly frustrated at Yuuri’s reasoning. 

“You’re so oblivious, piggy. Come on, we have work to do.” 

Yuuri went right to work with the horses to keep his mind off the fight. The troops had already left and people were coming back left and right for new horses and materials. Apparently, talking hadn’t worked. Yuuri busied himself and poured his unknown emotions into his work. He had to or he would stop and cry, and he didn’t have time for that. Victor wouldn’t want that. 

Soon, someone came back with a tired horse. He stopped for a drink and, as he was gathering his new supplies, Yuuri approached. 

“How’s the fight going?” he asked, unable to constrain his curiosity any longer. 

“It’s strange,” spoke the man, “We have the numbers, but they have this sort of creature. It looks like a horse, but it is of the sea. It can swim and run on land, just like the ocean folk themselves. It’s fast and strong. I’ve never seen anything like it. Nobody has. I think we are winning, but it is hard to tell. I should be going now.” 

The man walked off with the new horse that Yuuri brought him, leaving Yuuri with a look of shock. 

A creature of both land and sea…

Yuuri had an idea. A dangerous idea, but an idea nonetheless. He thought back to his conversation with Mila. 

_“Death isn’t the only way to be honorable.”_

_“But giving your life is.”_

He knew a way to stop this battle. It might work. It had to work. Yuuri looked frantically around the stables. 

“Yuri!” he cried as he ran to the young boy. 

“What is it?” 

“You’re in charge now. I have something I need to do.” 

“What? Are you insane?” 

Yuuri ran down the stables, earning strange looks from Otabek and the other stable hands. He finally came to the stall he was looking for. 

“Vicchan,” he breathed. 

_Yuuri! You seem excited._

“We need to go into the battle.” 

_Why?_

“If I can talk to their creatures, maybe that will get them to stop the fighting. They’d be vincible. We need to go!” 

Vicchan reared his head and spun around in his stable. He was excited too. Yuuri let him out and mounted him, not having time to take in the glorious feeling. Soon, they were on their way. 

_This is it_ Yuuri thought _this will show everyone that I am useful. I will prove myself to my tribe and save everyone from danger. Then we can all go home and be a family again._

Yuuri pushed Vicchan harder. They ran along the plains and caught the attention of troops waiting for battle. But Yuuri didn’t mind them, he had a mission. He could see the fighting in the distance. As they neared, a feeling arose in Yuuri’s stomach. He was nervous. After all, he was blatantly going against Victor’s orders, but he had to. He had to save them all from an untimely end. Yuuri rode into the battle, calling out to the animals with his voice and mind. 

“STOP!” he yelled, pouring every bit of persuasion into his voice. Suddenly, the masses of people and animals parted, leaving room for Yuuri to ride through. He looked at the new creatures, which looked like big horses with swimming limbs, and ordered them to stand down. It felt as if power was radiating from him. He heard voices replying back to him. 

_Yes, son of the earth_ they spoke. Each and every one said those words and bowed their huge heads towards him. Their riders yelled in confusion, not sure about what was happening. Yuuri still rode through the crowd, everyone stopping and staring at him. He looked down at himself. He was glowing brilliant gold. Whatever was happening, Yuuri decided, was making the animals believe and obey him. He continued on. 

Yuuri rode until he saw the biggest of all the water creatures standing towards the middle of the fight. On top of it rode a woman of the ocean folk, identifiable by her blue skin and fins. She glared down at Yuuri. As he rode up to her, the rest of the creatures made way. Clearly, she was their leader. As Yuuri strode towards her, he thought he caught sight of Victor’s silver hair but tried to keep eye contact with the woman. When Yuuri stopped in front of her, she spoke. 

“Who are you, witch?” 

“I am Yuuri Nikiforov,” Yuuri spoke, “Tribe leader of the Nikiforov tribe and husband of Victor Nikiforov.” The next words flew out of him as if he had said them all his life, “Son of the earth.” 

She looked down at him with her judgemental gaze, “Yuuri Nikiforov. Why are you here?” 

“I want the fighting to end. Your animals obey me. You are outnumbered. Please, let us just sit and talk.” 

“Alright, witch, I have a proposal.” She jumped down from her creature, landing on the ground. Holding up a spear, she spoke, “Fight me. If you win, we will talk. If I win, we continue the fight without your interference. No tricks, just skill.” 

Yuuri looked her dead in the eyes, trying hard to maintain his composure, “I am not a fighter.” 

“Then we will continue-” 

“I’m a racer. I will race your fastest creature and rider, and I will win. And when I win, we will talk. No tricks. Just skill.” 

She smiled, reaching out a scaley hand to Yuuri’s, “You have my word, witch.” 

Yuuri took her hand and shook it, never once breaking the eye contact he held. She turned to her troops and told them to go back to their camp. Before walking away with them, she turned to Yuuri. 

“We will meet here at sunset. You will regret this, I promise you that.” 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” 

The woman of the sea glared at him but walked away. She must’ve known that they would lose without their creatures, or she would have never let the fighting cease. The lust for blood could be seen in her eyes. Yuuri let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding before leaning down and taking deep breaths. Whatever he had just done, it took a lot out of him. He heaved his chest and noticed that the glow that once encompassed him had faded away. The people and horses around him seemed to snap out of their trace. They were murmuring. Talking. Just like the people back at the Hasetsu tribe would do. Yuuri couldn’t bear to turn around and face them, but, as it turned out, he didn’t have to. 

“Yuuri!” Victor grabbed him and looked him in the eyes, “What did you just do?” 

“I stopped the fighting.” 

“No, what was _that_? The glow? The way your voice seemed so powerful? The animals? What did you do?” 

“I’m not sure. I just did what I thought was right.” 

Victor looked up to see the crowd staring at them. He looked back to Yuuri and sighed. 

“This,” he spoke to the crowd, “is Yuuri. My husband as you may know. He can speak to animals. He is no witch. You have no reason to fear him. He is one of us.” 

The crowd seemed uneasy, but a voice came from the masses. 

“Yuuri!” it cried, “Yuuri! Yuuri!” 

Yuuri turned to see Mila chanting his name atop of her horse. She looked around and gained momentum, edging the crowd to join her. Soon, more people joined in. They chanted his name and raised their weapons, showing their respect. It seemed as if everyone was cheering, even those from the Hasetsu tribe who treated him so badly. Tears began to form in Yuuri’s eyes. Was this real? 

The cheers erupted into celebration. People talked amongst themselves and excitedly embraced. Yuuri blushed at it all and soon felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. Victor. He looked up to him with his tear-filled eyes. Victor smiled at first but quickly grew serious. 

“We haven’t won yet. I really hope this plan of yours works, Yuuri.” 

“It will. It has to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof lots happened in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed! <333
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](https://anyaisdancingagain.tumblr.com/) [Writing Tumblr](https://dancinganya.tumblr.com/)


	9. A Bet

“Yuuri, I’m not so sure about this.” 

“What do we have to lose?” 

“Well… I suppose you’re right.”

“Even if I don’t win, Victor, we will just go back to what we were doing before.” 

“I don’t want you to think that the lives of our people are on your hands if you lose.” 

Yuuri thought for a moment, “Well I’m sorry, but that is exactly what I will think.” 

“Yurri-” 

“Victor, let me do this for our tribe. I can save it.” 

“Why would you be willing to put the lives of our people in your own hands like this?” 

“Because I’ve never felt family until I came to the Nikiforov tribe. I want my family to be safe. Victor, even if I lose, I will have given my efforts to the cause, and that’s the most I can offer.” 

Victor smiled at his husband, “You know you’re amazing, right?” 

Yuuri didn’t say anything back, just mounted his horse and nodded. 

“I’ll see you soon.” 

Yuuri urged Vicchan forward onto the field. As he walked, Vicchan spoke. 

_Yuuri, I’m not so sure I can beat these things._

“The equeau? I’m not sure either. I’ve only ever seen them run on the battlefield, never in a race.” 

The creatures that the water folk rode, which Yuuri had learned were called equeaus, were large and strong. However, they were made for the ocean. Maybe their large form and strange limbs would slow them down, giving the smaller horse an advantage. Yuuri couldn’t be sure. He didn’t even know if he would stand a chance against the creatures, but he was going to try. 

The chief of the water folk chose a rider who was slim and muscular to face Yuuri. His name, which was Gishan, meant “champion” in their language. Clearly, Yuuri was up against their strongest racer. Yuuri approached Gishan and the water folk’s chief before the race was to begin. 

“We don’t have to do this. We can just talk.” 

The chief scoffed, “We are going to fight. This is simply to get you out of the way. Once we are done, we will continue.” 

Yuuri turned to Gishan, “Is that what you want?” 

“I want glory, tribe leader, and to protect my clan.” 

“Protect your clan from what? We’ve been nothing but peaceful.” 

“This is too much talking. We will see you on the field.” 

“... Alright.” 

The battlefield had been set up with markers to decide where the race should take place. Although the four tribes typically raced in an oval-shaped track, the water clan insisted that it be straight. Yuuri didn’t mind. After all, a race is a race, and the direction they were running in didn’t matter as much as why they were running in the first place. 

Lining the sides of the tracks were the fighters and observers. They made almost a full line from the start of the track to the end, with the water folk being on one side and the four tribes on the other. Although the water clans promised to cease all fighting until the following day should they win, the four tribes were still ready in case they broke their promise. Warriors carried their weapons and eyed the opposing side carefully. 

Everyone’s eyes were on Yuuri as he took his place at the beginning of the track. He took in a deep breath and spoke to Vicchan. 

“No matter what happens, I love you, Vicchan.” 

_I love you too Yuuri,_ Vicchan said, _but don’t sound like you’re going to die. This isn’t the end for us. It is only a bump in our path._

Yuuri smiled at his philosophical horse, “You should write something,” he teased. 

The horse just snorted at him in response, causing Yuuri to laugh. He felt eyes on the back of his neck, so he looked up and saw Gishan staring at him. He gave him a questioning look. 

“You can talk to the animals?” Gishan asked. 

“Yes, I can.” 

“Fascinating. The bond between equeau and rider is a strong one, yet you were able to cut right through it. What does mine say?” 

Yuuri listened to the equeau’s words. “He says that he misses his home and that he feels you do too.” 

“We all do.” 

“Then why fight?” 

“When we are called to fight, tribe leader, we must.” 

“Did the water god tell you to go?” 

“We don’t believe in your silly gods. Only the ocean and her spirit.” 

“Well then, did the ocean tell you to fight?” 

“No, we fight because we must.” 

Yuuri tried to wrap his head around what he was saying, but Gishan clearly wasn’t willing to give many details. He decided that he would just have to win and then hear their tale. Whatever was happening, clearly the ocean folk were in trouble. He needed to win and help them somehow. 

The two racers lined up along the makeshift starting line and began to get ready to run. Gishan’s equeau was excited to race despite his longing for home. To some, Yuuri supposed, the racetrack was like a home. It had been for him for many years. 

The two sides of the track cheered for their racers and waved their weapons in the air. It gave Yuuri confidence, but also worried him that he might let them down. He had to focus. 

Yuuri gave a quick prayer to the god of victory to help him in his race. While he hadn’t thought much of the god of the earth before that day, Yuuri decided to ask them for guidance as well. Surely, with all that was going on, it couldn’t hurt. 

A person from the Leroy tribe came forward to start the race. She was dressed in her armor and looked a bit nervous to be near the large equeaus without a weapon, but she still put on a brave face to start the competition. She began to count down. 

“On the count of three,” she spoke loudly, “One, two, three!” 

Yuuri urged Vicchan forward and asked him to give it all he had. The equeau beside him got ahead with its large strides. Yuuri pushed Vicchan harder. 

“Come on!” he yelled, “We can do this!” 

Vicchan miraculously sped up and caught up to the large beast. They were neck and neck, so close Yuuri could have reached over and touched his competitor. The equeau seemed to be losing speed, but Vicchan wasn’t much better off. He pushed and pushed. 

And, suddenly, it was over. 

Yuuri couldn’t hear anything except the ringing in his ears. Slowly, the ringing turned to shouting. What had happened? Who had won? Yuuri couldn’t tell. He looked around and saw his people running towards him. Were they mad? Yuuri looked at Gishan who was staring at the ground with wide eyes. 

“Gishan!” Yuuri shouted, “Are you alright?” 

Gishan looked up slowly, “You did well, tribe leader.” 

Yuuri was suddenly overtaken by the crowd who surrounded him and Vicchan with cries of joy. Yuuri looked around and saw Mila, who was the first to reach him, and he asked her. 

“Did I win?” 

“Yes! Yuuri you did! I’ve never seen someone ride so fast!” 

Yuuri looked up, amazed at what had happened. He won. They were going to talk. Everything would be alright. No more death. No more hurt. Yuuri smiled and raised his arms in their air with a big whoop. The people around him followed in suit. 

“Praise the gods!” he cried. The people shouted along with him, giving their own thanks to the forces above. 

Yuuri turned and saw the water clan chief and Gishan looking dejected. Yuuri broke away from the crowd and rode up to them. 

“Whatever is wrong with your clan, we will help. We only want peace,” Yuuri assured them. 

“I hope you’re right, tribe leader.” 

“It was a good race. We should try another time, yes?” Gishan asked with his webbed hand outstretched. Yuuri took it with a smile. Surely, this would be the start of good relations between the groups.

 

______________

 

The water clan met with the leaders of the tribes in the Giacometti meeting room the following day. The clan leader, who Yuuri had learned to be named Chief Linaqua, seemed very put off by the idea of talking. However, she opened up right away. 

“We attacked because our food supply is running low. The fish are becoming less and less, and we need food for our people to survive. We thought that we could take your land and make areas to grow food as you humans do. It was our only chance at survival. 

“We would love to help you keep going,” Christophe explained to them, “Violence is not the only way to solve your issue.” 

“It is the only way we know.” 

Victor spoke next, “We would be happy to extend trade to the water clans and help give you farmland around this area. We would even like to dedicate some of our researchers to find out why your fish supply is running low. Surely, there is a reason. We will not let your people starve.” 

Chief Linaqua turned to Yuuri, “How do I know that you are honorable in your requests?” 

Yuuri was surprised at being address directly in the official conversation, but he tried his best not to show it. He supposed he was the only one who had gained the water chief’s trust somehow. He spoke with confidence, “You have my word. Our gods forbid any broken promises, and we will follow through.” 

She nodded, “Well, I suppose we could work out a plan.” 

They spent the next several hours working out a trade and territory agreement. Both sides signed parchment stating exactly what they would do for the others. The tribes even benefitted from the exchange as the ocean folk had many things that they did not. The trade would benefit both sides. Once everyone was satisfied, Christophe proclaimed a party of good will and new relations, which the ocean clan accepted with some hesitation. 

Soon enough, the whole Giacometti tribe was filled with music and dancing from people of all tribes and clans. While many of the water folk decided to leave early, some did stay, and those who stayed seemed to be having a good time. Yuuri watched from a table in the main room’s corner, smiling to himself. Although he was secluded, people would still seek him out and thank him from time to time. Despite the festivities, Yuuri was content to just watch and see everyone brought together like they were. 

“Yuuri! Come dance with us!” Mila called while standing next to Yurio and Otabek. 

“Alright, alright,” Yuuri gave in before seeing a figure standing in the doorway. Mila followed his gaze and smiled to herself. 

“We will see you tomorrow, Yuuri,” she said. 

Yuuri understood. He walked to the figure standing in the doorway and allowed for them to take him by the arm and lead him down the hallway. They didn’t say a word until they reached a room that was so familiar to Yuuri. 

“Victor,” Yuuri spoke when they entered their bedroom, “It’s good to finally get to talk to you. It has been a busy couple of days, hasn’t it?” 

Victor gave a short laugh, “Yes, it has.” 

They walked to the balcony in their room and looked up at the stars. Victor was the first one to speak. 

“Yuuri, I know you might not think it, but you’re amazing. I can’t believe what you have done in your short amount of time with us. I truly could not ask for a better partner.” 

“Thank you, Victor.” 

“But you still don’t love me.” 

Yuuri looked up, registering his words, “What do you mean? We are married-” 

“But you don’t love me, I can see it in your eyes.” 

Yuuri lowered his head, “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be, Yuuri.” 

“W-why me?” 

“What?” 

“Why did you choose me to marry you? I’m nobody.” 

Victor grabbed Yuuri’s hand and held it to his chest, “I saw something special in you, Yuuri. Something amazing and beautiful that I’ve never seen before in a person. And I was right. You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met. You’re brave, you’re strong, you’re caring, and, despite everything you’ve been through, you’re still willing to keep going and fight for everyone else. That takes true character.”

At that moment, Yuuri lunged forward and planted a kiss on Victor’s lips. When he pulled away, he saw Victor’s eyes widen. He had surprised him. 

“Victor, I see something special in you too. You’re a great leader and a caring husband. You are so open with yourself and have a love that is too strong to break. You didn’t even hesitate to help the ocean clans out when they needed us, and I think that takes true character. You’re so amazing too, and I can’t help but admire you.” 

“Yuuri…” Victor said, amazed. 

“I think you’re right. I’m not in love with you. However, I will let myself fall in love with you. Not for you, not for the tribe, but for me. I will love you because I want to love you, and nothing will get in the way of that. Is that alright, Victor?” 

Victor smiled, “I could ask for nothing more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh! One more chapter to go! Thank you all for reading this, I really appreciate it! 
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](https://anyaisdancingagain.tumblr.com/) [Writing Tumblr](https://dancinganya.tumblr.com/) \- Come talk to me! I love meeting new people! 
> 
> Like choose your own adventure stories? Well then you'll love my new story A Match Made! Included is wonderful fic art by Jemsauce, so you should totally check it out! Find it [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17002776)


	10. Epilogue

_One Year Later…_

 

To celebrate the forming of new relations and the amazing win of the following year, the tribes held a party to memorialize the event for generations to come. Everyone was invited from all tribes and clans, and they came together under the same roof to celebrate together. This year, they decided, it would be held at the Nikiforov tribe’s main house to commemorate the tribe leader who saved them. While Yuuri Nikiforov might not have looked like much from afar, his eyes held great stories and experiences. 

Ever since the incident, they looked into the history of their gods and goddesses to find out more about the earth god. In conclusion to their research, they decided that Yuuri must be a demigod of the earth god that granted him his amazing abilities. If you asked Yuuri directly, he would deny this, but many people held it to be true in their hearts and minds. This included one Victor Nikiforov, much to his husband’s distain. 

“How’s my darling demigod doing this evening?” Victor asked, hugging his husband from behind and resting his head on his shoulder. 

“I’m not a demigod, Victor.” 

“Mmm, but then how are you so beautiful? You simply can’t be mortal!” 

Yuuri laughed before turning around to face his husband directly. He raised himself to kiss him on the lips, slowly and lovingly. Pulling away, Yuuri stared into his eyes. He smiled. 

“You know I love you, right?” 

Victor laughed, “You tell me every moment you can. How can I not?” 

“I just wanted to make sure.” 

Victor held out a hand for Yuuri to take, “Are you ready? They are waiting for you.” 

Yuuri gladly took it and allowed himself to be led out of their room. They walked together through the main house and into the main room where people were talking and dancing. Lit by fire, the room seemed to give off a sort of glow from the people in it. Yuuri sighed. It was beautiful. 

Victor showed him to the table where the diplomats and leaders were sitting and drinking. While Yuuri denied any drink himself (he knew it would end badly) he was amused by all the other people he knew to be so professional drinking away and having fun. It was nice to see them loosen up for a change. 

“I know you want to get away from this,” Victor whispered to him, “It will only be a few more minutes.”

Yuuri smiled, “It’s alright. They can wait.” 

They were pulled from their conversation when Hasetsu tribe leader Celestino came over to them. He waved to the couple, a bit red from his drink, and spoke. 

“Do you mind if I borrow Yuuri for a moment?” he asked. 

“If you have to,” Victor joked, “Don’t keep him too long!” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Celestino held out a hand for Yuuri to take, which he did, and led him to another corner of the room. Yuuri could only imagine what his old tribe leader wanted to say to him. 

“Yuuri,” the older man started, “I wanted to apologize to you.” 

“Apologize?” 

“Yes. I am sorry for the way I allowed for you to be treated by my -our- tribe. It wasn’t right. I knew it then, and I definitely know it now. You should have never been an outcast for your ability.” 

“You couldn’t have stopped them-” 

“Yes. I could have. Or, at the very least, I could have made it better. I know apologizing doesn’t do much now, but would you please forgive me?” 

Yuuri smiled, “Of course.” 

“Good. That’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you though.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yes. I wanted to congratulate you.” 

“On what?” 

“Your newfound love.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-” 

“Yuuri. We all know. We can see it in your eyes. You didn’t love Victor, but, after all this time, you really do. I’m proud of you for finally finding love. You deserve it.” 

Yuuri didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t have to wonder for long before Celestino held up his glass and shouted to the tribe and clan members. 

“To Yuuri Nikiforov! May his heart ride faster than his horse!” 

The people cheered and took drinks from their own cups. Yuuri smiled. While not much had changed since the last party all those moons ago, he had deepened his love for these people, and that was irreplaceable. 

Celestino walked away, probably to find more to drink, and Yuuri began walking back to the diplomat table. He was stopped when an arm wrapped around his shoulders. 

“Yuuri!” the new voice slurred, “How is your sexy ass doing?” 

“Christophe, why must you be like this?” 

“You love it.” 

Yuuri laughed, “You’re not wrong.” 

Christophe turned to face Yuuri and gave him a hug. As they embraced, his whispered in Yuuri’s ear, “I’m proud of you, darling. It takes a lot to get under Victor Nikiforov’s skin, and you do it oh so well.” 

“Jealous, Giacometti?” 

Christophe laughed, “Hardly. I’ve got another nice piece of ass all to myself. You better be getting back to your man, he’s looking pretty pathetic by himself.” 

Yuuri smiled and patted Christophe on the back, “Will do. It was nice seeing you.” 

Christophe winked and walked away, leaving Yuuri to look at Victor. Just as Christophe had said, he was looking pretty sad. Yuuri decided to go over and comfort him. 

“Victor, darling, stop frowning. People are going to think you’re having a bad time.” 

Victor smiled upon seeing his husband, “Well I wasn’t until you got back.” Yuuri sat down next to him and Victor buried his face in Yuuri’s neck. “I’m mostly looking forward to the after party,” Victor moaned. 

“There is no after party.” 

“I meant our after party, darling.” 

Yuuri felt his cheeks burn red and he looked around to make sure none of the diplomats heard. They didn’t, but Yuuri couldn’t help but give Victor a small slap on the arm for his behavior. Victor smiled against Yuuri’s neck. Yuuri couldn’t stay mad at him, and he knew it.

“Yuuri!” two voices echoed together. Yuuri turned, pushing Victor off himself, and saw Mila and Sara approaching. They had their hands intertwined and had smiles on their faces. Yuuri smiled. He loved those two, and he was so glad that they found love with each other. 

“Mila, Sara, how are you?” 

“Yuuri! You promised you would come dance with us! We are holding you to it!” 

Yuuri laughed, “Alright, alright. Victor, would you like to come dance?” 

“Of course! Let’s go.” 

Yuuri, who was being dragged by Mila and Sara, dragged Victor onto the dance floor. They began dancing the traditional Nikiforov festive dance that Yuuri had learned on the night of his wedding. It would always hold a special place in Yuuri’s heart. He started out with Victor as his partner, but soon switched to Sara, and then to another tribe member, and soon found himself dancing with Jean-Jaques of the Leroy tribe. Yuuri smiled at his fellow tribe leader. 

“JJ! How are you doing this evening?” 

“I am well, Yuuri! Thank you!” 

“How is your marriage going? I can’t believe how lovely the wedding was!” 

“Oh, it’s going perfectly! My darling Isabella is the most amazing person in the world. Dare I say even more amazing than me!” 

Yuuri laughed, “That’s quite a statement.” 

“Isn’t it? I just love her that much.” 

They soon switched partners and Yuuri continued to let go. He loved dancing so much, the joy it brought could not be compared. He danced with people from the tribes and from the ocean clan and fell in love with the movements. When he finally got tired, Yuuri walked over to the balcony and leaned against the railing. He looked up into the starry night sky. Sighing, Yuuri looked back towards the ground. He never knew his parents, but he still found it hard to believe that one of them might be the god of the earth. Yuuri felt the wood of the railing and tried to connect with the earth god. He focused. And focused. 

_Yuuri!_

Yuuri opened his eyes, almost hoping to see some mystical being standing there. Instead, he was met with the small bird that he knew from so long ago. Yuuri sighed. 

_Are you disappointed to see me?_

“No, I would never be disappointed to see you, tiny bird,” Yuuri smiled and held out a hand for the bird to hop on, “I just thought you were someone else.” 

The bird laughed, _Yuuri, always with your head in the sky. The earth god would be proud of you._

“I’m not so sure about that.” 

The bird gave an annoyed huff but said nothing. They sat in silence until Yuuri felt a presence behind him. He turned and saw the water clan leader, Linaqua, standing behind him. He gave her a bow. 

“Linaqua, it is good to see you.” 

“And you, Yuuri.” 

She walked up next to him and leaned against the railing as well. Together, they looked up at the stars. When she finally spoke, Yuuri was almost shocked. 

“I never got around to thanking you, Yuuri, for everything that you’ve done for my clan.” 

“It was really nothing-” 

“No. You showed us the error in our ways. Now we live a life that would make the ocean proud.” 

“You mean the water god?” 

She waves her hand, “I suppose, if that’s what you want to believe. I still don’t believe in your silly gods, but I do believe that the earth and the ocean are different entities of their own. And I believe that, some way or another, the earth made you. Yuuri, I know you don’t think so, but I do believe them when they say you’re a ‘demigod.’ No one else could have done what you’ve done. You saved us, and, for that, I will always be grateful.” 

Yuuri gave a soft smile, “Thank you, Linaqua.” 

She slapped his back a little too hard, “Of course. Have a lovely night.” 

She walked away, leaving the smell of the ocean behind her. 

Yuuri looked back to the stars and felt arms wrap around his middle. He would recognize those arms anywhere. 

“Hello, Victor.” 

“Hello, Love.” 

They sat there in silence, just staring up at the sky. At that moment, Yuuri realized that he would never change a single thing. He would always love this life. He would always love his tribe. He would always love Victor. 

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking this amazing journey with me! I've loved writing this cute story on a whim. Did I mention that it was all based on a dream I had? Makes sense as to why it's all over the place, right? XD Anyway, thanks again. I love you all! <333
> 
> Want to read more by me? I've started a new WIP! Tomb of Knowledge is another fantasy AU that you'll probably enjoy! Like choose your own adventure stories? Well, I have TWO! A Match Made and Stunts and Secrets are both CYOAs with 34 combined endings! Go crazy! 
> 
> [Personal Tumblr](https://anyaisdancingagain.tumblr.com/) [Writing Tumblr](https://dancinganya.tumblr.com/)


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